Heather Gil-Lastrina grew up in a large family with hard-working parents who put faith and service to others at the center of their family’s life. Her mom was a social worker and her dad a civil engineer. They also had a business supporting adults with developmental disabilities and some of these adults lived with Heather and her family throughout her childhood. In addition, there was often a member of the extended family living with them as well.
Heather learned about CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) shortly after moving to Huntington Beach in 2022. After retiring from a 30-year career as an elementary school teacher, she searched for a way to continue to give back to the community. She heard about CASA through a friend of a friend. Coincidentally, when she told one of her daughters about her interest in CASA, she learned that her daughter was already familiar with CASA through her Theta sorority since CASA is the national philanthropy partner for Theta sororities. She felt like this was all “divine intervention” and signed up for the CASA training.
Heather says the CASA training helped her better understand the impact of trauma on children who have been removed from their homes. She said, “In 30 years of teaching, I’d never worked with a foster child and I’m grateful that CASA provided so much training about this population. We learned the importance of empathy and the value of just showing up and supporting these children.”
About the same time, Heather also decided to join the Friends of CASA (FOCASA) auxiliary to further connect with the mission of CASA and to make new friends in the area. She was asked to be a part of the silent auction committee responsible for gathering luxury items from local retailers for the FOCASA Holiday Luncheon. She says, “The women I’ve met are so welcoming and kind. There are events throughout the year including the Holiday Luncheon, mixers and our book club that have helped me develop some nice relationships. Most importantly, the members of the FOCASA all have special hearts for service in our community.”
As a newly trained CASA, Heather was matched with a young girl *Leah who, at only nine, had already experienced a very traumatic life. Fortunately, Leah was living in a stable foster home when she and Heather first met. The two quickly bonded and enjoyed going to movies, the park and other fun places together. Heather says, “We had great bonding time in those visits; lots of laughter, singing to songs in the car and dancing. Leah called me her ‘big sister’.”
But Leah’s behavior began to change dramatically when she turned ten and started an early transition into puberty. She lost her father about this time, around the one year anniversary of her mother’s death. Heather was concerned about Leah’s dramatic shift in behavior due to her multiple traumatic experiences. “She began pulling away from the people she cared about and started harming herself. This led to suicidal ideation including multiple attempts and hospitalizations.” Over the next few months, Leah began identifying as a boy and changed her name to *Lewis. Heather says it’s been a little difficult to fully understand the gender transition at her child’s young age but says, “Lewis has been through so much. It’s not my role to question it. I'm just going along with what he needs right now.”
What Heather does do is advocate fiercely for the services she believes her youth needs. Because of Lewis’s attempts at self-harm, he needed to be removed from his foster family and was placed in a Short Term Residential Treatment Program (STRTP). At the STRTP, he receives therapeutic services but is missing school due to the ongoing chaos in his life. However, the STRTP is only a temporary placement and Heather is trying to help find a long term Residential Treatment Center that can provide the care Lewis needs. “This has been my greatest challenge - he has been turned down by so many because of limited space, he’s too young or because he doesn’t have a ‘reunification plan’ in place since his parents are deceased,” says Heather.
Heather credits her CASA Advocate Supervisor, Brittany West for helping her navigate this complex case. “She is always available any time I need to talk with her. She gives me such encouragement, is so calm and thoughtful, and always says the right thing.” Brittany says she nominated Heather to be the Advocate of the Month because, “Heather is so enthusiastic about her advocacy efforts. She is constantly coming up with new ways to engage her youth and meet them where they are. She is committed, engaged, and performs her volunteer role with integrity. Heather forms wonderful bonds with her youth and is a constant source of support and encouragement for him.”
Despite all of the challenges Lewis is facing, he and Heather still maintain a good relationship. She plans on being there for him, “no matter what.” She has recently volunteered to take on an additional CASA youth. She and Brittany have identified a teenage girl who’s on the waitlist who Heather hopes to meet with soon. Heather advises anyone who may be interested in becoming a CASA to just, “Be empathetic, be a good listener and be present. CASAs are a child’s biggest cheerleader.”
If you’d like to learn more about becoming a CASA, please email Norma Mendoza or sign up to attend an upcoming Information Session. If you’re interested in learning more about Friends of CASA, click here.
*Name changed to preserve privacy.