Betsie Tanza
Betsie saw something very special tucked away in the heart of the 10-year old boy, “Ethan,” for whom she chose to advocate. He had been removed from his home because of neglect and was living with a foster family. “Ethan was completely disengaged from the world around him,” Betsie said. “I wanted to help him re-engage.” Betsie spent time building a bond with Ethan. Because he was behind in virtually every subject in school, (mainly due to poor attendance) Betsie concentrated on getting Ethan back on track at school. With Betsie’s tireless advocacy, Ethan – now 12 years old – is a changed boy. In addition to Ethan’s love of baseball, Betsie discovered that Ethan had a love of, and a talent for, art. Betsie connected Ethan with Jamie an artist who volunteers at the CASA house. Ethan is now taking pottery classes with Jamie. At the end of the last school year, Ethan received two school awards: one for Perfect Attendance for the entire school year, and a Presidential Award for Educational Achievement, in recognition of the huge academic leap he had made that year. “I just love this boy,” Betsie said. “I plan on staying with him as long as he needs my advocacy and support.”
