"Though she be but little, she is fierce." ~ William Shakespeare

According to volunteer Advocate Annie Ellis, that quote from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was fully embodied by former Advocate JoHanna Ortegon, who passed away on Sept. 20.

Born on Aug. 27, 1971, JoHanna dedicated her life to helping those in need and spent her time not only as an Advocate for CASA of Luzerne County, but with several other community organizations.

During her time with CASA, JoHanna was absolute in her dedication to the mission of the program.

"She worked tirelessly and participated 100 percent in training, even if it meant presenting an opposing view," Annie said. "She held her convictions strongly and was unafraid and unashamed to promote them. And I respected her greatly for that."

Sandy Serafin, who taught JoHanna's CASA training class, described JoHanna as "passionate" in her service to her child.

"She always wanted to do her best and be her best for the sake of her child," Sandy said. It is because of passion and commitment like JoHanna's that CASAs are able to positively impact the lives of children in our community. We are so thankful that JoHanna chose to donate her time to fighting for the children in Luzerne County.