Dallas CASA is proud to announce the agency’s honoree for the spring Cherish the Children luncheon – WFAA anchor Cynthia Izaguirre.
A longtime supporter of children in foster care, Izaguirre hosts Wednesday’s Child, weekly segments featuring children in foster care who need permanent, loving homes.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned from Wednesday’s Child is that I need these children as much as they need me,” Izaguirre said. “Every child I meet inspires me to be a better human being.”
Dallas CASA’s Cherish the Children luncheon will be held on May 6 at the Dallas Omni Hotel. All funds raised at the event support recruiting, training and supervising more volunteer child advocates for Dallas CASA. Izaguirre will receive the 2022 Caroline Rose Hunt Cherish the Children award at the luncheon.
Foster care and adoption weren’t on Izaguirre’s mind when she graduated from Dallas Independent School District and the University of North Texas and began her broadcast journalism career. But once her career brought her back home to Dallas, she soon found her passion in the stories of remarkable and resilient children in tough circumstances featured weekly on Wednesday’s Child.
Each segment offers a glimpse into the life of a child seeking an adoptive family. Izaguirre has hosted the program since 2011, taking over from former WFAA anchor Gloria Campos. The segments have been a WFAA staple for more than 40 years.
Izaguirre recalls one interview with a young boy name Dabron, who struggled with the filming and ended up in a corner of the room crying.
“I stopped the shoot immediately and made a promise to myself that I would do whatever it took to get him adopted one day … even if took a hundred more tapings,” Izaguirre said. “We went on to do another taping and I’m so pleased to say Dabron was adopted at age 13. He is now 16, driving, working and flourishing.”
A parent to a twin son and daughter, Izaguirre and her husband recently added a son to their family through adoption.
“We romanticize adoption, and we shouldn’t. It’s hard,” she said. “The first two years were very trying, but I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. I love my son so much. He’s going to do something very big in this world!”
At the luncheon, Izaguirre will be interviewed by Dallas CASA Board Chair and Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall, herself an adoptive mother of four children from the foster care system. The luncheon is hosted by the Dallas CASA Children’s Council, with Beth Cholerton and Hannah May serving as co-chairs.
Izaguirre says she hopes Dallas CASA’s volunteer advocates know how important their roles are to children in need.
“The kids just want people to know they are normal,” she said. “They want families who will love them through the good and the ugly.”
