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Every CASA volunteer is a hero for the
child they serve. Sometimes the difference is small
and subtle, and other times it is clearly life changing.
Following are several stories of kids who have benefited
from a CASA volunteer.
Click here to watch the CASA
VIDEO.
The first time I met little Jeffrey he was living
in a group home, barely six years old, separated from
his two younger brothers and sister, having been removed
from his home where the children had suffered severe
physical and emotional abuse. Jeffrey was the most
frightened little boy I had ever encountered in decades
of working with children.
We spent out visits together in quiet walks in the
park, not even venturing onto the playground equipment.
Though he had been deprived of early schooling and
was behind in 1st grade, he was very bright and eager
to learn. We shared a lot of “firsts” together:
first trip to see a train, first day exploring the
beach and tide pools, first time picking out a pumpkin
for Halloween. And soon he was brave enough to learn
how to ride a scooter with my help.
Jeffrey was eventually placed with a foster family
whose intent was to adopt him, until a series of court
appeals, hearings, changes in social workers and judges
left him very confused as he began to adjust to a
new home and at the same time was required to visit
his father every week, someone who was very frightening
to him. Having a CASA was just about the only thing
Jeffrey could count on during this time, as no one
could tell him what the future would bring. I worked
closely with his foster parents, his teachers, therapists
and social worker to help him feel secure during a
very unsettling time.
Day by day he made progress in school and learned
to trust. Through CASA he was able to go to science
camp for two summers where he thrived building rockets
and his own spaceship. Our trips to the beach now
included climbing huge rocks and running out on the
pier which once petrified him.
Nearing his 9th birthday, he continued to ask when
he was going to be adopted by his new family where
he said he wanted to live for “forty years at
least!” In my court report I again expressed
Jeffrey’s wishes, verbatim, to the judge. Soon
thereafter, Jeff’s biological father relinquished
his parental rights, allowing the adoption to take
place.
Sitting in court, himself, for the very first time,
in his little blue blazer and tie, looking through
his new Harry Potter glasses, Jeffrey looked up at
the judge after the adoption ceremony and announced,
“You picked the very best parents in the world
for me. Thank you, Judge!”
As I compare photos of 6 year old Jeffrey and 9 year
old Jeffrey, the change in him is overwhelming. Finding
a secure and loving home for him before someone stamped
his file “unadoptable” was life changing…both
for him and his proud new parents.
9-year-old Danny was discovered begging for food in
a local Orange County city. He had been living in
a car with his sister and drug-addicted mother after
moving from motel to motel. Danny had attended school
sporadically throughout his life, was virtually fatherless
since birth, and had been surrounded by drug abuse
and prostitution for years.
After being removed from his mother's care and placed
in a foster care home with five other children, Danny
was referred to CASA by an Orange County family-court
Judge. Karen, a former schoolteacher and recently
trained volunteer advocate, was paired with Danny
soon after.
Due to his transient past, Danny had serious educational
and social needs as he had difficulty making friends
and participating in group activities, and was quite
behind in school.
Karen was able to provide an immediate stable relationship
and become a friend during this difficult time. She
got very involved with his educational needs, has
made arrangements for an after-school tutor, and has
arranged art lessons for Danny’s enjoyment and
self-esteem.
For the first time in his life, Danny just completed
an entire year of school…successfully. With the
help of his CASA volunteer, Danny is now performing
at grade level and his teacher reports that he is
a very bright child – only needing the right
support to reach his full potential.
“If not for Karen's consistent influence in his
life I doubt Danny would be where he is today - on
his way to a permanent, loving family,” said
Case Supervisor Kate Helm.
It is the many CASA advocates like Karen that truly
help turn lives of hurt into ones of hope for kids
like Danny, everyday.
A tinier-than-most five-year-old raced toward me across
the playground, her mop of red curls bouncing off
her freckled face. “My name is Hope, and you’re
my CASA, right? Where are you going to take me today?
I love Scooby Do, how did you know? Can you find a
family for me? When I get mad, I bite, you know….”
So began my adventure with Hope, in every sense of
the word.
Bright little Hope had been abandoned by her parents
when she was three, dropped off at a relative’s
home who was soon reported for physically and emotionally
abusing the toddler who bore scars to prove it. By
the time she was five she had lived in more than one
group home and had experienced two failed placements
in foster homes. In her words: “They brought
me back.” She was angry, scared and sure no one
wanted her. Her answer to survival as the youngest
and smallest child in a large group home was to fight
back in any way she could.
Hope was very curious and precocious but could not
get along with other children in school. As her advocate
I located a private school that could better deal
with her behavior problems and give her the attention
she desperately needed. She loved to learn and couldn’t
wait to read.
My main priority was to see that she was never again
given a false promise by another family and that a
permanent home be found for her. Every time I heard
the words “unadoptable at this time”, I
redoubled my efforts as her voice in court. With a
change in her social workers three times, I started
over three times, working closely with Hope’s
therapist and her court-appointed attorney. And during
this time Hope and I learned to ride a pink two-wheeler,
to fly a kite, to visit bookstores and go to children’s
plays, and to chase seagulls on the beach until we
collapsed in laughter.
When Hope was seven, her dream started to take shape.
A single woman expressed the desire to adopt her,
having taken special foster parent training to help
Hope deal with her fears and cope with adjusting to
this potential new home and family. My visits with
Hope from that point forward were filled with her
excitement about having her own bedroom and a puppy.
It wasn’t an instant adjustment, but she was
soon to realize how much she was loved. Hope became
very connected to her new mom and the adoption was
finalized.
Hope just celebrated her 10th birthday in her new
home in the Midwest. She now attends a regular public
school and phoned me recently to announce: “Guess
what? I got straight A’s and three special awards.”
Yes, that’s what Hope is all about!
These volunteers made a difference…and so can
you. Become a CASA volunteer and be a hero for a child!
We would love to answer any questions or have you
join us for an upcoming volunteer information session,
(714) 619-5155.
Here is what the CASA kids had to say about their
volunteer when asked on a recent survey:
What I like
most about my CASA is…
- “He worked hard to get me back
home and he never gave up.”
- “She is honest to me.”
- “She rocks and I love her no
matter what happens!”
- “She cares, she’s on my
side, she’s nice, and she’s smart.”
- “He says the right things to
keep me focused and motivated.”
- “She’s really patient and
understanding.”
- “She is willing to go the extra
mile for me.”
Having a CASA
in my life has made a difference because…
- “She knows what’s best
for me.”
- “I actually have someone to
talk to, someone that I trust.”
- “I now have better grades.”
- “She’s there for me every
single time I call to talk to her ‘cause I
need her.”
- “I have someone to look up to.”
- “My behavior has changed and
I have improved in school and at my house.”
- “It gives me someone to be with
since I don’t have my parents to take me out.”
- “I feel special.”
- “I have someone that I know
will always care about me.”
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