Paul Hardy is living his best life as a retiree after almost forty years in the medical field. He is a driver for Meals on Wheels, he’s very active in his church, he works part time as a golf course marshall, he’s a first time grandpa, and he volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for *Devon. In their spare time, Paul and his wife are visiting as many national parks as possible. So far, they're at 30 with Alaska’s beautiful national parks next up on the list.

Paul first learned of CASA when he was training to participate in a weeklong summer camp that his church hosts every year for children in foster care. He loved the experience and was told he should be a CASA by a family member who was already volunteering as an advocate. Paul says, “At first I was hesitant as the role requires some vulnerability and that made me a bit uncomfortable but I thought about it, prayed about it, and decided to sign up for the CASA training.”  

Devon was 17 when he and Paul were first matched and Paul says of their initial meeting, “Devon was a bit suspicious about the whole thing at first, he wasn’t sure he wanted another adult in his life telling him what to do. When we had our first meeting together, I told him, ‘I just want to get to know you and help you in any way I can.’”

Their early meetings were typically going out to eat and talking. Paul says it wasn’t long before Devon was very communicative, sharing stories, both good and bad, about the things he was doing in his life.” Paul shares a story that he says was a breakthrough in their relationship, “Devon and his girlfriend had a big fight and he was really confused about how to handle that. I told him, ‘If you really love her, then apologize and tell her that you still want to be together.’ He was astonished to hear that advice and said, ‘That sounds really good!’ and did exactly that.” Paul adds, “To you or me, that’s really basic stuff, but for a 17 year old, with no family guidance growing up, it was a big step to make himself vulnerable and it helped him see the value in having a CASA in his life.” 

Paul describes their time together as a, “roller coaster.” Devon ended up in Juvenile Hall and became what is known as a “crossover youth” which means he was involved in both the juvenile justice and the child welfare system. Paul continued his weekly visits with Devon while he served his time in Juvenile Hall. 

Kevin Plata is Paul’s Advocate Supervisor at CASA and he describes how Paul provided ongoing consistent support to Devon during this time, “Paul followed Devon through many placements, including his time at Juvenile Hall. He was able to motivate Devon to read a few books during his time and created a routine where they would read the same book, and talk about it at the beginning of each visit. This gave Devon something to do, and something to look forward to every week. It was like their own personal book club. Together they read books ranging from self-empowerment, to religious history, and even informative narratives.”

When Devon turned 18 and finished his time at Juvenile Hall, he opted to stay in the foster care system as a Non-Minor Dependent (NMD) and relocated to live with family in Riverside. Paul viewed this as a positive saying, “He could have opted out of the whole system when he turned 18, but he chose to stay in recognizing the benefits of doing so - there’s a lot of support that’s available to him.” Paul now makes the drive to Riverside to see Devon and says he will remain in Devon’s life as long as Devon wants him around even once his case is transferred out of Orange County and his CASA OC case is officially closed. 

In their time together, Paul has tried to connect Devon with resources like drug and alcohol treatment programs and encouraged him to look at longer term planning. Paul says, “He’s really good at short term planning but doesn't yet think very long term. I encourage him to consider going to college since the system will pay for it, or think about getting a job and saving for a car…things that can lead to independent living.” 

It’s the everyday life lessons, where Paul knows he’s having an impact. He shares a story about trying to help Devon get his driver's permit at DMV. “Devon thought the DMV staff were rude to him and he was very upset about the encounter; I tried to tell him, ‘That’s pretty normal - they're not targeting you,’ but that’s how he felt. So it’s just the little things like that where we can help with typical life experiences.” 

When asked if his CASA training allowed him to feel well-prepared for the different scenarios he faced as a new CASA, Paul said, “The CASA training was fantastic. I’ve been through all sorts of training in my corporate career and I thought the CASA training was excellent. It’s a different role, most people have no idea what kids in foster care have been through. The training helped us to understand that and gave us techniques to support our youth which were really, really good.”

Paul shares his thoughts about people who are considering becoming a CASA. “You’re putting yourself out there to help someone, so it can be a little scary but I would say, push through that discomfort. These kids don’t have the guidance that they need and you can be that person. It’s rewarding for you, but to see your youth take that guidance and do good things, is really fantastic.”

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 protect privacy