"...she is such an extrovert and makes everyone feel comfortable and welcomed!" - Pat, CASA Volunteer
WRITTEN BY:
PAT
Back in 2008, I received a phone call from my CASA supervisor, Laura, asking me for help. Laura told me she wanted me to take on another case and that I was familiar with the child. I was Emily’s CASA when she and her siblings were brought into the OC Foster Care System in 2006. Their father and mother were into drugs, which resulted in the girls being removed from their parents. I did not need to hear another word and told Laura, “I am on the case.”
Emily was a highly active eight-year-old who was mature beyond her age back then. She was an incredibly special and unique little girl with a smile on her face for everyone she met. Before the school year started, I was able to obtain a copy of a second-grade reader and worked with Emily on her reading weekly. Each week we would go to the local library and work for an hour to allow me to see if her education had suffered. Emily would track each word with her finger, and even though she placed her finger on the word, she would not say the word or substitute it with another. When she came to words she could not pronounce, I would ask her to break up the word and sound it out. Sometimes she would get it, and sometimes not. We also worked on her math. Emily had no problem with addition, but subtraction was an issue for her. I showed her a different way, and she progressed from there.
Emily wanted to learn how to crochet, so I bought the yarn and crochet hook, gave her instruction, and off she went and made her dad a pillow. When we would go to the local eatery, we would manage to get the same server each time. It was fun to watch the two converse; it was as if they were the best of friends. Each week just before our visit ended, we would make a beeline to See’s Candy to get our three pieces of chocolate. Emily got so excited when two of the employees that she connected working. Why? Because they were genuinely interested in her, and she showed them how her crocheting was progressing.
She thrived on the nurturing these ladies gave her each week. Then in 2010, Emily’s dad was able to complete the protocol to get his three daughters back in his life. They remained in Orange County for a couple of months and then relocated out of state, thus ending my involvement as Emily’s CASA. Since August 2013, and thanks to the internet, Emily and I reconnected. At that time, she had just turned 12-years-old and was about to start 6th grade! This year, 2020, Emily graduates from high school! In her latest email, she wrote, “My plans after high school are to attend community college then transfer to a university to major in Hospitality.” I can certainly see Emily working in this industry, as she is such an extrovert and makes everyone feel comfortable and welcomed!