By Molly Brown | Guest Contributor
Instability is all too familiar for children in the foster care system. Judges, social workers and foster parents rule their lives. In such a complex system, court-appointed special advocates, or CASAs, serve as the voice of the children.
CASA is a national nonprofit that trains people to speak on behalf of children in foster care in court. CASA of McLennan County, located two miles from Baylor, is dedicated to fulfilling this mission in the Waco area.
Susannah Jones, a Baylor graduate and local business manager, has been an advocate for CASA of McLennan County for three years. Jones said part of her interest in volunteering stemmed from her plans to one day adopt through foster care.
“It’s a really good way to get involved, because I think change within society starts in the home,” Jones said.
The process to become a CASA involves a two-month training period during which advocates learn the ins and outs of the foster care system and a new vocabulary of legal jargon. They also hear stories from foster families and experienced advocates.
“It’s just learning how to be the best advocate for the child, because you’re not speaking on behalf of the department,” Jones said. “You’re not speaking on behalf of family members. It’s strictly for the child.”
According to Jones, advocates volunteer an average of 10-20 hours per month with their cases, but they are rewarded with fulfilling experiences.
“We like to drive around in the car and sing a lot,” Jones said.
Jones said she also regularly checks in to stay up to date on the children’s lives and well-being. For example, if a child were to need tutoring help or a trip to the dentist, she would be there to see that those needs are met.
Trena Goldsmith, an advocate supervisor for CASA of McLennan County, helps train and equip volunteers. She said it is important for advocates to be grounded in their commitment to serve and to have a true understanding of self before speaking for another person.
“This takes a special person,” Goldsmith said. “But one thing I always tell people is it is the most rewarding thing.”
CASA is always seeking volunteers who can best represent the children they are advocating. For example, Jones said CASA encourages men to become volunteers because many of the young boys in foster care need male role models.
“If there are any guys out there, male influences are really important for a lot of these kids, and it’s more of a female-run volunteer program,” Jones said.
Tara Ashworth, the collaborative family engagement coordinator for CASA of McLennan County, said she wants to see representation reach even further.
“In addition to just men, I think we also need African American, Hispanic and LGBTQ [volunteers],” Ashworth said.
CASA works to see that every child in the foster care system is placed in the best hands; however, Ashworth said the United States is in low supply of available foster homes. Without enough foster homes to accommodate every child, some kids may end up in group facilities or unfavorable placements.
“Every year it seems to shrink,” Ashworth said. “And we need foster homes badly.”
Kate Blevins, the outreach director for CASA of McLennan County, said that on any given day, she is often communicating with a local church or working an information table at McLennan Community College.
“Trying to have a physical presence in the community is what I’m trying to do,” Blevins said.
As a nonprofit, CASA relies on grants and donors to fund its work. Recently, CASA was awarded $50,000 from the Cooper Foundation — a local philanthropic cause dedicated to rewarding nonprofits that serve the Waco area.
At Baylor, CASA of McLennan County is also the main philanthropic cause for Kappa Alpha Theta. Each semester, Theta hosts campuswide events to raise money and awareness. In 2022, Theta raised more than $69,000 for CASA of McLennan County.
Westchester, N.Y., sophomore and Theta philanthropy chair Mattie Pittman said Theta chapters across the country raise funds for the national CASA organization, but Baylor’s Theta chapter is unique in its opportunity to directly help the McLennan County branch.
“It makes it so much more real to know that the money that we’re raising is going into CASA of McLennan County, which is helping kids that might live a mile and a half away from us,” Pittman said.
