Cynthia Smith is deservedly proud of her many life accomplishments. As a young, single mom, she made the bold decision to move across the country from her home in New Jersey to begin a new life in Sacramento. She went to the local community college to get her A.A. degree but quickly realized she needed additional education to get ahead in her career, so she spent the next seven years working full time, raising two children, and attending night school. Cynthia eventually graduated with honors and her B.A. degree. She says, “I am the only person in my family to graduate from college. That meant a lot to me personally so I hung my diploma in the biggest, fanciest frame I could find.”

A job transfer took her to San Diego where she lived for many years before retiring after 32 years of working for the state as an investigator in the public defender's office and in the department of transportation. Once she retired, she made the decision to move to Orange County where she could be closer to her daughters and grandchildren. Her mother eventually moved to Orange County as well, and Cynthia takes care of her two days a week. 

Cynthia says she first learned about CASA while living in San Diego. She was watching TV and a commercial came on for CASA featuring Phillip Rivers, who was a quarterback for the San Diego Chargers at that time. “I thought, ‘That sounds interesting. I’m familiar with the court system from my time as a paralegal and an investigator; I can do that!’” Once she was settled in Orange County, she looked up CASA OC and signed up to become a CASA volunteer. 

Cynthia completed her CASA training in 2019 and was matched with her first youth during Covid. She says, “It was tough at first because he didn’t want to talk on the phone or via Zoom - he wanted to go do things in person. Once we were able to start doing things together, he had a blast.” They encountered some challenges due to a language barrier since the youth’s caregivers only spoke Spanish and Cynthia’s Spanish was limited. Once her youth was adopted, she was matched with her current youth, *Ellie. 

Ellie and Cynthia first met when Ellie was only eleven and really struggling. Cynthia says, “She was very angry when we first met and would have temper tantrums, and throw and break things. She hadn’t learned how to deal with her feelings in a more positive way.” The two have now been together for three years and Cynthia says, “I can see immense changes over that time.” Ellie is living in a Short Term Residential Treatment Program (STRTP) but, according to Cynthia, has matured so much that she finds the other youth residents are hindering her. She wants to be placed in a foster home so she has a better environment. Cynthia says, “Those are the kids she used to be but she’s come a long way.”

Cynthia attributes her growth to a combination of her maturing and as a result of Ellie’s huge team; her “awesome” social worker, the staff at Ellie’s group home, her therapists and psychiatrists, and a consistent CASA. Cynthia says, “There is a huge team around her.” She’s been particularly impressed with the judge who oversees Elllie’s case in one of the dependency courtrooms.  “I really appreciate that the judge goes back in her chambers, takes off her robe, comes back into the courtroom, and sits down right in front of my kiddo at her level and has a heart to heart, face to face conversation with her. It’s awesome. I ask her, ‘do you like that?’ And she’s like, ‘Yeah!! She listens to me, she understands me, and she's concerned about me.’” Cynthia adds, “To see this judge, and Ellie’s attorney, both care so much. It’s really good to see.”  

When Cynthia first was matched with Ellie she thought, “I’m a mom and a grand-mom so I can teach her things, but I realized she already has such a large team and probably doesn’t want me to always be trying to act like a teacher. My supervisor said it’s ok to just be the ‘fun person,’ since she has other people to talk to about her feelings and what she’s going through. Now we just go do fun things.” The two enjoy going out to eat together, they’ve been to the movies several times, gone go-kart riding, played with ceramics at Color Me Mine, and gone shopping together. They enjoyed a trip to Legoland together as part of a Starfish Wish, and Cynthia took Ellie to the San Diego Zoo as a special treat for her birthday. 

But Cynthia also steps in to advocate on Ellie’s behalf when needed. Her CASA Supervisor Amy Crowley nominated her as Advocate of the Month because of her efforts to advocate on Ellie’s behalf. Cynthia shares, “When Ellie was being bullied in elementary school, I made an appointment with the vice principal, got a tour of the school, and advocated for the bullying to stop. I also went on a tour at Samueli Academy where they have a wonderful hands-on learning style for kids who may learn in different ways. I advocated for her to go there and showed up on her first day of school where I waited outside for her to arrive to cheer her on. I just thought it was important for her to feel good about her first day.”

Cynthia also attends all of Ellie’s court hearings as moral support saying, “I think it’s best I be there. The one time I missed, there was an incident with her in the courtroom. I thought, ‘never again,’ I’m going to be there every time. I am there to talk to the judge after turning in the report. Sometimes the judge will stand up and address me and thank me for being a CASA or ask me questions about how Ellie is doing.”

Cynthia’s supervisor Amy says, “Cynthia is a dedicated advocate. She supports Ellie during court hearings, attends every Child & Family Team (CFT) meeting, and has been there for Ellie during some difficult times. Cynthia works well with the social worker and Ellie's entire treatment team. She is a pleasure to work with and I love our coffee get-togethers to brainstorm on how we can best be there for Ellie.”

On those occasions where Cynthia wonders if she’s making an impact in Ellie’s life, she says Amy is there to provide moral support, “Amy is the best, she is always available whether by phone or in person to talk about things and give me advice. She’s been a great cheerleader and supports me and lets me know I am making a difference. The fact that she’s available for me is great,” says Cynthia.  

Cynthia shares a moment she recently had with Ellie that let her know her presence is making a difference, “When I first met Ellie, I put my hand on her shoulder and she flinched and moved away from me. She looked at me and said, ‘It’s not your fault, I just don’t like to be touched.’ I told her I understood. Recently, we were sitting next to each other, and she took my head and pulled it over onto her shoulder as if to comfort me. The fact that she has come from not wanting to be touched at all, to knowing that she can connect with me and we can hug and it can be a positive thing, has been huge growth.”  

When asked what she gets out of being an advocate, Cynthia says, “CASA fills my heart and gives me purpose. There have been naysayers who say, ‘Do you have to meet with your youth so often?’ And I say, ‘I’m doing this because I WANT to!’ I've had tough times, but I’m fortunate so why not share my love and my time to help someone else? These kids are gonna be our future - they need our help and our guidance.” Cynthia wipes her eyes before continuing, “Some people don’t understand what I’m doing or why I'm doing it, but I do it because I want to. I feel good about what I’m doing and hope that I’m helping. And nobody can take that away.”

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a CASA, please email Norma Mendoza or sign up to attend an upcoming Information Session. 

*Name changed to preserve privacy