Notes from the Field

SFCASA volunteers work to reverse the consequences of abuse and neglect by providing dedicated advocacy, mentorship, and a consistent adult who works to represent the child's best interests both in and out of the courtroom. In honor of Child Abuse Prevention month, we asked our hard-working case supervisors to share a story of how they were inspired by a SFCASA volunteer. Here is what they had to say:

Lee is the CASA for Rosalie, who struggles with obesity and diabetes. Rosalie confided in Lee that she felt badly about her weight and wanted to do something about it. Through Lee's advocacy, Rosalie was able to secure funding for a weight loss program in order to lose weight and develop healthy eating habits. – Heather Zona

Catherine's case involved frequently changing circumstances around the complex medical and cultural needs of her teenage youth. By prioritizing getting to know her youth as an individual, being an effective communicator bridging the many service providers, and working with this changing constellation of team members to best involve this adolescent in decisions about his life, Catherine has provided her youth with three years of thoughtful and effective advocacy. Team members, including social workers, the foster parents, the attorney and the judge, have all expressed appreciation for Catherine as CASA, often commenting how impressed they are by her commitment, follow-through, and ability to assist this young man to achieve best-possible and best-case-scenario outcomes. – Erika Dirkse

Jennifer was really frustrated with her CASA youth, 9-year old Melanie, who was acting mean and moody during their visits. Jennifer, however, didn't give up on Melanie, realizing she had never had a consistent adult figure in her life. They visited a public library together and Melanie started acting up again. Jennifer calmed her down, and then they proceeded to make valentines together. A few days later, Jennifer opened her Valentine from Melanie and it said, "Dear Jennifer, Happy Valentine's Day! Your (sic) the best friend I ever had ... Love, Melanie.'' - Jeff Perry

Theresa is the CASA to a sibling group -- 4-year-old Lily and 7-year-old Jackson. She and Jackson's first grade teacher noticed a consistent problem with one of his eyes, so Theresa arranged for Jackson to be checked out by a doctor. He had a successful surgery to correct the problem. His eye disorder would certainly have gone untreated had it not been for Theresa's intervention. – Todd Lloyd Brian is a CASA who works with Julian, a 7th grader who was performing poorly in school. Brian established the need for tutoring services, and found a free tutor for Julian, who starting meeting with him twice a week. He also worked with Julian's teacher to prepare a packet of work so Julian could catch up on assignments he had failed to complete. Furthermore, as part of their outings together, Brian and Julian spend the first 30 minutes doing homework together. Brian is happy to report that on a recent grade report, Julian had mostly B's and his teacher said he's more engaged in his education. – Carly New Beers

James is a naturally gifted athlete but would always give up when things became too challenging. After dropping out of most extracurricular activities he spent the majority of his time playing video games in his room or getting into trouble in the community. His CASA Greg managed to get him a complimentary gym membership and now they work out together every week. Greg always stresses the importance of not giving up when things get tough and it seems to be working: James no longer gets in trouble, his confidence is much higher and he's excelling in extracurricular activities. His behavior has improved so much that Greg is advocating for him to transition to a mainstream public high school - something inconceivable even six months ago - where James looks forward to trying out for the football team. – Michael Tracy

Melissa (15) was truant from school more often than not. As her CASA Alexis got to know her, she discovered the other kids at school teased Melissa for looking like a boy, and her non-English speaking, immigrant family had no idea how to help her. Alexis found a unique school for her with a no tolerance policy toward isolating a student for whatever differences he or she might have. In this supportive environment, Melissa is much more confident and her attendance has greatly improved. – Judy Rutherford

Kimberly got pregnant with twins at the start of high school. She faced many difficulties as a teenager and a young mother, moving from foster home to foster home to accommodate her and her twins. Her CASA Sarah helped find tutoring for her so she could attend traditional classes and finish all her high school requirements. Sarah also helped find her childcare assistance for her children. However, even with all her hard work, she wasn't able to pass the required high school exit exam. With Sarah's help, she worked with the principal and the City College of San Francisco to prepare her to re-take the exit exam. Kimberly is determined to finish high school and be a good mother to her twins, and in doing so, is thankful for her help of her CASA along the way. – Maria Nasalga