“My passion is helping people, especially kids.” At what point did you truly feel like a CASA? When meeting my children and seeing a smile on their face. Meeting with my children is satisfying to me. What has been the most rewarding moment of being a CASA? Following up with… Read more
“The relationships I’ve developed with my CASA kids and the many life lessons I’ve learned throughout the process are aspects of this experience that I will cherish for a lifetime.” If you could fund anything for CASA, what would it be? I feel really strongly bout the case that I’m… Read more
“I wasn’t expecting to have a kid that whom no one was responsible for. It was very rewarding to learn how to connect with him and see him gain confidence.” If you had a million dollars to fund anything for the CASA program, what would it be? More youth activity… Read more
“No movie I’ve seen or degree I’ve gotten or class I’ve taken could have prepared me for reading the case I have.” What would you say to someone who is unsure about volunteering as a CASA? First, you have so much support from the CASA office! I also have a… Read more
“I was a lawyer and a GAL in Atlanta, when I moved to Denver I applied to be a GAL and they told me the role that I’m looking for is a CASA. For me a CASA is different from any of the other roles I played” What keeps you… Read more
“Every case is different and your role will change every time to fit that case, that is very stimulating for me.” Is there anything you wish that society understood better about the children you work for? Probably how important permanency is for a kid. If they’re in the foster care… Read more
In 2011, a young boy named Johnny and his sister were placed in a foster home as a result of severe neglect. Their parents relinquished their parental rights shortly thereafter and Johnny’s sister was adopted by their foster family. Johnny, however, had extensive behavioral issues and the adoptive parents soon… Read more
My name is Carley Raybon and I am currently a public relations student at The University of Alabama. Last semester, as I thought about entering my senior year, I knew I needed to gain experience within the field. Alabama has one of the top communications and public relations programs in… Read more
I recently changed jobs and started doing administrative work at a hospital in town. Not having any prior experience working with patients in a healthcare setting, I hadn’t much considered that most of the people I would be encountering each day would be, of course, sick. My clinic sees many… Read more
Vicarious trauma (compassion fatigue, secondary PTSD, or countertransference) is a big deal. I think as CASA volunteers we are all too aware of this—we see members of our interdisciplinary teams dealing with its reality every day: department workers overloaded with cases; agency workers, foster parents, friends and family constantly dealing… Read more
For my final part in the three-part series delving deeper into some aspects of volunteering with CASA, I want to discuss something that is often thought about last—us, the volunteers, and what being a CASA volunteer means in our lives. CASA’s motto is “I Am for the Child.” As I’ve… Read more