J.W.

Why did you decide to become a CASA volunteer?

Helping kids throughout the court process interested me. I enjoy working with children with the time I have outside of work. These kids are in situations where they need someone to speak for them, and I had time to give to them.

What motivates you to continue working as a CASA volunteer?

There are so many abused and neglected children out there and every single one of them needs a CASA representative. Each case is different and each kid is different. When you go through your first case and you see the benefit and help you're providing to a child, you just want to do it over and over again. When you're successful in a case and get to see a child doing well after a very tough situation with his family, it is just really gratifying.

Describe a success story with one of your cases, something that made an impact on you.

My first volunteer assignment involved a 5-year-old boy named Jason, whose mother had given him to a friend to raise. Jason thought of that caregiver as his real mother and was very attached to her. She really loved him, too, but she made some decisions that made it necessary for Child Protective Services to become involved. There was a meth lab in the home, and the caregiver just couldn't take the steps necessary to provide Jason with a safe environment. I advocated for Jason to live with a foster family, and that family later adopted him. It was the happiest resolution possible, and he's thriving in his new home. But we all knew that the Jason also still cared for his former caregiver, so we were able to arrange for him to stay in contact with the woman who had played such an important role in his life.

*James French Photography