Even better than I dared hope
After decades of working in the business world, I was ready for something more meaningful, a way to give back. As a retiree, I was not in a hurry. I wanted to get this right.
I had already been a foster parent. Some of the children I fostered had CASAs, some did not. The difference was significant. Children with CASAs had more support, and more protection. So when a Piedmont CASA Supervisor position opened up, I knew I wanted to be part of that. I was elated when I got the job.
From the team of Advocates I lead, to the veteran peers I follow, I am persistently renewed by the dedication of my CASA colleagues. We have a dream for every child and teen for whom we advocate – that they will embrace their possibilities despite the trauma, pain and sadness they have experienced. And that we can change their stories one chapter at a time, one child at a time.
You’ve heard it before: Advocates are the heart of our mission. I’m going to share one example of why that is true. The first case assigned to one of the CASAs I supervise was challenging, but she approached it by jumping right in. She loved her assigned siblings from day one and advocated for them with great care, compassionately applying all she had learned in training. She developed relationships with everyone involved in their world, from the worker at the Department of Social Services to the foster parents to the teachers. She cultivated a relationship with the children’s family prior to and during the kinship placement.
It was so inspiring to review her court reports, and to see all her hard work reflected in the hours documented on her tracking form. She knew that to make good decisions for the children, the Court needed to have a clear picture of their life and circumstances. After she spent many months carefully researching and preparing comprehensive court reports for multiple hearings, the judge returned custody of the children to their parents.
What a joy to be at the hearing and see things work out so beautifully despite the tough beginning. We had seen the family work through a period of great difficulty but in the end, they came together to support one another – because it was what their children needed.
The way this awesome CASA handled her case, the way she visited the children more often than the monthly requirement, the way she approached the family, showing them dignity and respect and not judging them, had a huge impact on the trusting relationship she developed with them and on the outcome of the case.
The Judge stated at the start of the final hearing how “grateful” she was for the “helpful CASA Court Reports”. She expressed how every time she received a report from this Advocate she would say, “I’ve got a CASA report!” She commended the Advocate and the CASA Program to those in attendance. After the hearing, the parents of the children thanked the Advocate.
It was a day to remember! As the Advocate and I walked to our cars, I told her how her excellent and important work inspired us all.
This story is a good symbol of my first nineteen months as a CASA Supervisor, in that things turned out even better than I dared hope. I cherish the deep sense of purpose I have here, as well as the people I have come to know and love. Especially the Advocates, who give so much of their heart and time for the health and happiness of the children we serve.
