John Watts

Andy* is John’s second child with CASA. After his first young boy was reunited with his father, John was inspired to want to work with another child. For the past two years, John has been an Advocate for Andy, now 10 years old. Andy’s case is in an extremely difficult and complex one, and Andy finds himself in what John understatedly described as “a very fluid family situation.” In order to best advocate for Andy, John has been in communication with two sets of foster parents, the birth mom, Andy’s social worker, and his teachers. When Andy’s math teacher told John that Andy was struggling with learning the multiplication tables, John called Andy every night to work with him. “And over the months, he learned them all,” John said. John spends time with Andy every week and describes him as a boy with “an infectious smile – he’ll walk up and say hello to everyone.” John is aware that this puts Andy in potentially dangerous situations, so he works with him on personal boundaries, and how to assess what is happening around him. “This is a child who has never been able to trust his own home,” John explains, “so he is always looking outward for someone to trust. That is one of the things I can provide for Andy.” John will stay with Andy for as long as he is in foster care and until he is placed in a loving, safe home. He said, “There is a long road ahead for Andy. He is just trying to deal with today.” We know that John will be there to help Andy do that.

*To protect his confidentiality, Andy is not his real name.