CASA of the Northern Hills
A new CASA volunteer was appointed to her first case advocating for a sibling group of four, two brothers and two sisters, who were removed from their parents due to extreme neglect and parental incarceration. At her first meeting with the placement provider, she brought a frozen pasta dish as a thank you to the caregivers for taking in the children. This simple and kind gesture helped her quickly develop rapport with the placement and, in turn, the children. Even as a new advocate, she never shied away from taking all four children on adventures to include Stormin’ Crab, ice skating, and bowling. She went to the children’s respective schools to have lunch with them individually, which was something they had never experienced with their parents. The CASA volunteer always made sure the children’s voices were heard and their opinions validated, which helped strengthen their trusting relationship. She even made the trip to a neighboring state to see them after the four children were placed into kinship care with their maternal grandmother. She provided testimony to openly express their needs and wishes. The Judge raved about her detailed CASA Reports and thanked her for being his eyes and ears. After advocating for the children for 487 days, they achieved permanency through a guardianship.