At CASA, we are always looking for ways to celebrate our amazing Advocates. In keeping with that intention, every month we will highlight the story and experience of one Advocate who is working with a child or youth. Every Advocate has a story, and we hope that by regularly featuring individual Advocates, we can honor the stories and experiences of all. We will randomly choose an Advocate who has their volunteer file up to date (monthly logs, insurance information, driver’s license) to be our Featured Advocate each month.
Kerry McDonald’s journey as a CASA Advocate reflects the essence of what it means to champion every child. Her work is child-centered, driven by the belief that every child deserves safety, stability, and love. Alongside this, she acknowledges the courage and determination of parents, foster families, and extended relatives who strive to create nurturing environments.
We are so grateful for Dora’s warm acceptance of the family she was matched with and advocating for their needs. The family strengthened and healed with Dora’s help. Her dedication, innovative approach, and unwavering commitment to the well-being of the family left an enduring positive impact on this family. Through her actions, Dora has set a powerful example of how one individual's efforts can create a more compassionate, inclusive, and supportive community for all.
Since being sworn in, Ellen has worked with two families with each case spanning about two years, with a short break in between. In both situations, Ellen supported infants, which meant supporting not only the young children, but also their families, as any child under the age of 3 cannot be taken out of the home by a CASA. The babies Ellen supported had been removed from their mother’s care and placed with extended family in the community. Therefore, Ellen worked with both the resource family (the extended family caring for the child) and the birth parents, who were working toward reunification.
As one of CASA’s newest Advocates, Pia was a little apprehensive when she was matched with two teenage sisters and their five-year-old brother. But as Pia describes it, “It just felt right.”
Devon edged closer to aging out of the system, leaving him without the much-needed resources for him to flourish into adulthood. But right around his 18th birthday, Devon was matched with Advocate Prentice.
Jill became a CASA Advocate in 2020 and was matched with a transition-age youth, as a mentor to help with independent living and the transition to adulthood.
Cindy Margolin was sworn in by the Santa Cruz County Court as a volunteer youth Advocate back in 2002, after attending the required comprehensive 35-hour training. Over these past 20 years, she has been matched one-on-one with eight youth, ranging in age from toddlers to teens, located across the county. She has logged over ten years of active advocacy during which she volunteered an average of 20 hours per month. She spends at least one afternoon each week with the youth she is matched with, getting to know them, their caregivers, and what they need. She fiercely advocates for their best interest in Court, school, and even healthcare needs.
For the past two and a half years, Torrey and Mark have devoted their attention and time to two siblings and the adults in their lives—parents, extended family caregivers—to advocate for a safe, stable, and nurturing home. They stayed by the children, being a constant, stable presence in their lives as they went through family transitions as well as the pandemic.
Mitch has been a volunteer Advocate with CASA of Santa Cruz County for 4 years and counting. A former teacher and school administrator, his love for kids has driven his involvement in helping out foster youth. During his time as a volunteer, Mitch has had the opportunity to work with 3 teens so far.
After some time attempting to find the perfect CASA for Sean, Eric was matched with him and became the perfect fit. Eric’s dedication to Sean, as well as his commitment to provide support to Sean’s mom, helped Sean to settle into being a successful reunification with his mom
Susan wanted to have 100 children when she grew up. She and her husband compromised at three kids of their own. But she knew she wanted to help young people. After retiring from her long career as a lawyer, she went looking for an opportunity to make a difference.
Susan may not have had those 100 children she wanted when she was young, but she is making a major difference for quite a few CASA youth. Read the full article here.
Denise brings her years of experience as a teacher as well as all she has learned as a parent of a child with special needs. When she met Jose*, her current CASA child, she learned that he didn’t speak. He was four years old and clearly impacted by trauma. She knew that he understood language and was smart, and while the rest of his team of caregivers and social workers didn’t think he could attend preschool, she knew that with the right support, he would do well. Click to read more.
Each month at CASA we celebrate, appreciate and highlight the story and experience of one of our wonderful Advocates. Each has a unique story and perspective and each child that they work with is in a different situation and has different needs. We hope that by sharing their individual stories, we can honor the stories and experiences of all Advocates. This month we got to know Larry Willis
Each month at CASA we celebrate, appreciate and highlight the story and experience of one of our wonderful Advocates. Each has a unique story and perspective and each child that they work with is in a different situation and has different needs. We hope that by sharing their individual stories, we can honor the stories and experiences of all Advocates. This month we got to know Becky Oesterle.
At CASA, we are always looking for ways to celebrate our amazing Advocates. In keeping with that intention, every month we will highlight the story and experience of one Advocate who is working with a child or youth. Every Advocate has a story, and we hope that by regularly featuring individual Advocates, we can honor the stories and experiences of all.
This month, we got to know Savanna Sandusky.
