Leadership

I became involved in child advocacy following the birth of my son Sean in 1965. He experienced significant birth trauma and subsequent brain damage. The eventual ramification of all that was a child with special needs affecting most areas of his life. Not having training to deal with his issues I became his advocate and mine for services. I continue to be and realize very well what an intricate and convoluted maze exists, at times, to serve children. This is not only true for family members but many time child welfare workers as well.

My adventure as Sean's mother led me to advocate for others and more broadly as I worked to make system change. I have lived in Kent County for most of my 65 years and have been involved as an advocate for children and very involved to promote cultural diversity in Kent County.

My recent years as a CASA Advocate Supervisor have been very rewarding. CASA affords me the opportunity to advocate for individual children and continue my efforts to identify and reduce the barriers to service. I am particularly interested in the children who are aging out of the system and am involved in that arena in many aspects.

CASA is extremely important and necessary to the children of Kent County who have been abused and/or neglected. These are children who are many times damaged in most areas of their lives. If they are to recover and lead successful lives there needs to be a consistent and persistent voice for them which reaches to the highest levels of decision making.

My husband and I moved to Grand Rapids as newlyweds in January 1978 in the middle of one of the worst snowstorms in Michigan's history. About a year later, we purchased our first home and settled in. I was employed for 15 years for an insurance company, and then quit to be at home with our son 18 years ago.

My volunteer work began in my sons schools. I was a Room Mother for several years, helped in the school library, participated in several committees, and worked on fundraising activities. I co-chaired the school auction for two years, and was the president-elect and then president of the home and school association. I also volunteered at the Childrens Museum in a small way and was a Cub Scout den mother.

I decided to volunteer with CASA after speaking with a Family Court judge who firmly believes in the value of the program. She told me she could rely upon the information and insights provided by CASA volunteers and the volunteers were often invaluable in helping her make informed decisions. After training and accepting my first case, I quickly came to understand the Judges opinion.

Initially, it was a shock to discover that caseworkers have such high caseloads and limited time, and that so much of their time is devoted to composing reports, requesting funds for services and clerical duties. Caseworkers have very difficult and demanding jobs, and their efforts directly impact childrens futures. Because caseworkers oftentimes lack sufficient opportunities to develop relationships with the children they serve. This is an important area where CASA volunteers bridge the gap.

We volunteers have more time to devote to investigating and fleshing out the issues that brought the children into care. We are able develop relationships and provide caseworkers with valuable information to better meet the needs of our CASA kids We are able to work in conjunction with caseworkers to deliver the best possible resources to children and families so that every child has a safe and permanent home.

I have six children of my own. I cannot have anymore so I thought it would be nice to reach out and help other children to have a safe and permanent home. Children are my passion.

The first case I was assigned as a volunteer, I was on for three years and involved three children. At first they were in home wards and lived with mom, but after 2 1/2 years the children were placed in foster care. Their mom had supervised visits at the agency.

In December 2004 when mom was on her way to see her children for a supervised visit she was involved in a tragic car accident. She went off the road, hit a tree head on, and did not survive the accident. This was very tough for me as an advocate, because I became pretty close to mom through the years. After the mom died in the crash the children went back to live with their dad. I was with the family until the end and beyond. That year Judge Feeney nominated me for CASA of the year, stating I went above and beyond what a CASA does. I would do it all over again, because I saw the difference a CASA makes.

I have been married for 46 years, have four married children who have given me nine beautiful grandchildren. I retired from my position as administrative assistant to the senior pastor of a large church in this area for over 20 years. My good friend is a CASA volunteer and she asked if I would consider volunteering in the office. I have never regretted saying yes. It has been a privilege to be a help and support to the superb staff of CASA and my one day a week has turned to two. It is gratifying to know that there are truly selfless people who are willing to give their time and voice to the hurting children of Kent County.