Siblings “Olivia” (8) and “Owen” (3) entered foster care last year following reports of abuse in the home. After settling into their foster home, the children were uprooted yet again when their foster parent decided she could no longer care for them.
Fortunately, Olivia and Owen had Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer Suzy looking out for them. CASA Suzy was determined that this move to a new placement would not derail the children’s lives. (Olivia, who experienced terrible trauma in her past, had been making remarkable progress in therapy.) CASA Suzy communicated with the children’s social worker, therapist, and other professionals on the case to ensure they would continue receiving vital services and not suffer any major setbacks.
Devoted community volunteers, like CASA Suzy, make sure children in foster care don’t fall through the cracks and give them a chance to thrive.
Volunteer Name: Suzy F.
County: San Diego
Became a CASA: 2021
Favorite Quote: “Hope is not blind optimism. It’s not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It’s not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it. Hope is the belief that destiny will not be written for us, but by us, by the men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is, who have the courage to remake the world as it should be.” –President Barack Obama
You, too, can make a difference in the life of youth in foster care. Learn more about becoming a CASA volunteer.
Opinion: Navigating the Foster Care Bridge