“I wish more people knew that CASA existed.”
CASA volunteer Carol Wills echoes the words many of us say on a regular basis. Once you see the need in our community and see all the good a CASA can do, it’s hard not to think that way.
As a retired teacher, Carol has been able to take her 32 years of classroom experience and translate it into successful advocacy for not just one, but two children.
“My first case was a five-year-old boy who was very clearly developmentally delayed,” Carol said. “His mom told me he was enrolled in kindergarten, so I followed up on that information and found out he was not. I knew from experience that this little boy needed to get to school so he could be tested, have an IEP written, and services provided. It took some doing with the parents, but by the end of his first year in kindergarten, placement in a special needs classroom was the plan for the following year.”
This case was a good fit for Carol because of her professional background, but she recognizes there was still a lot to learn in the beginning.
“For new advocates, there’s so much to learn about ‘the system,’” she said. “It’s a lot to take in during training. But when you’re handed your first case and you sit down to lay out all your information, you really do have a good feeling as to where you should start. The CASA staff are more than willing to help.”
Now on her second case, Carol has a clear goal in mind for her advocacy.
“In the case I have now, I truly hope that I can present a positive attitude to the 14-year-old girl that I’m working with to help her see that there is a way to successfully get back with her mom, which is the ultimate goal.”
If you’d like to join Carol in helping the children in our community reach their goals and experience the loving support of a trusted adult, we hope you’ll consider joining our spring training class which begins on March 10.
The first step in that advocacy journey is to attend one of our online info sessions. You can register for the next one, which is scheduled for January 22, here.
Carol lives in Northeast PA with her husband Mike and their eight dogs.
