CASA volunteer, Marie Takeshita hopes her youth *Melissa was able to spend the holidays with members of her family. According to Marie, this would have, “made her entire Christmas” since she has almost no contact with anyone in her family. But she shares her concern as she hasn’t heard from Melissa since the holiday break. “I’ve tried to contact Melissa four times over the last two weeks and she hasn’t responded which is unusual.” And so it goes for Marie who has been the only consistent adult in Melissa’s life for the past 5 ½ years.
Marie comes from a large family and is very close to her four siblings who all still live in the area and frequently enjoy, “giant family get-togethers.” Keenly aware of her good fortune, Marie chose to dedicate her volunteer efforts to CASA as a way to give back. “I’ve been so fortunate in my life. You don’t get to pick the family you’re born into and mine is phenomenal. I feel so lucky to have been born into this family.” Marie also shares that she herself hit some rough patches as a teenager. “We moved when I was going into my junior year so I know how hard it is to acclimate in a new school. I was a train wreck my last two years in high school but I had a huge family to support me. Had I not had them, who knows what would have happened.”
She contrasts her life experience with that of Melissa’s. “When I was matched with Melissa, she was only 13 years old and had already been in four or five placements. Since that time she’s been in umpteen placements and attended six different high schools.” Marie continues, “Each time she has to start all over without the support of anyone in her family. And, just like when I was in school, the easiest people to meet are the ones ‘getting loaded’ in the bathroom.”
Melissa’s young life has been a cycle of, “move - start over - move - start over” according to Marie who expresses her frustration with the foster care system. “Every time she gets placed somewhere there’s no support system. She goes into a new high school and she’s all by herself.” However with every one of these transitions, Marie does her best to line Melissa up with tutors and other supportive services. “I’ve sat in on most of her IEPs to help her navigate the system and hopefully get some people that can help. I also sit in on all the monthly meetings with the social worker and the people at whatever house she’s living in.”
Aside from the advocacy Marie does for Melissa at school and in court, the two spend time together going out to lunch and dinner. Marie has tried to connect Melissa with local youth groups to help her meet people her own age. “I want her to have a group of friends that care about who she is and are not just there to party.” She also tries to introduce her to the various supportive services available to her through Orangewood and other local agencies.
Marie credits her Advocate Supervisor Amy Crowley with helping her uncover the different services available to someone Melissa’s age. “I so appreciate having her as my Advocate Supervisor. She is so supportive both of my youth and of me. She’s been a huge help to me in finding the services that will help Melissa help herself. I can call her and tell her about problems I’m having and she’s always reminding me that I’m making a difference in Melissa’s life and there are times I really need to hear that.”
Amy shared her appreciation for Marie as well. “Marie goes above and beyond to assist her youth in exploring education and housing options. She works hard to keep everyone in the loop and is a valuable member of the Teen Court team.” She added, “Marie never gets discouraged despite setbacks and is always there for her youth.” Melissa’s current social worker, Demi Masad echoed Amy’s praise for Marie by sharing what a valued member of the team she is.
All three women work together to support Melissa as part of the collaborative team at Teen Court which serves youth in the dependency court system who may need additional intervention and services. Marie had special praise for Juvenile Presiding Judge Craig Arthur who oversees Teen Court. “I love Judge Arthur because he’s so understanding of the kids and has such a good heart. He’s very matter of fact and has such an open mind and heart. He has so much compassion for the kids and so many great ideas on how to help them help themselves move forward.”
Marie feels cautiously optimistic about where Melissa is in her life right now. “She’s 18 and has opted to stay in the system until she’s 21 so she can continue to receive supportive services. She enrolled herself back into high school and seems determined to graduate this year. She’s living in a home with older people without all of the drama that comes with living with other teens.”
Marie closes by saying, “Being a CASA has been an amazing experience. I know Melissa’s been a harder case. Watching her and the things she’s gone through is just heartbreaking and she deserves better. I hope more people learn about fostering or becoming a CASA. There are so many kids who get a short deal because there aren’t enough people to foster or serve as volunteer CASAs. I hope to see that change.”
*Name changed to protect privacy