John’s name is one you’ll surely recognize. He served at CASA for many years — first as its board president and then as its executive director. But what many might not know is that John is also a CASA volunteer.
John took this case in the summer of 2020 to step in for an advocate who could no longer continue because of Covid. Since the date of his appointment, John has been working diligently to help this young child find permanency after many years — almost all of her years, in fact — of life in the foster system.
John, who refers to his CASA kid as Elsa since that’s her favorite character, have developed a strong bond over the course of his advocacy.
“Elsa and I simply had fun together on our visits,” John said. “Going to a playground, reading stories, icing cookies, taking walks, eating pretend food she made from her kitchen set for me, chasing bubbles from a bubble wand, getting ice cream from the McDonald's drive thru, dancing to ‘Hakuna Mattata.’”
Simply by being her friend, John has shown Elsa that he cares about her and what she needs.
“I feel very strongly that in order to fulfill the role as a CASA, the volunteer needs to put the time in — week in, week out, month in, month in, year in, year out,” John said. “First with your CASA kid, and then with all the ‘collateral sources’ that touch that child's life. Then you will be prepared and able to speak confidently about that child in court because you will know more about her than anyone else in that courtroom. It all starts with that commitment of time. That's why this volunteer experience is such a difficult one but clearly a much needed one for these children.”
We are grateful to John for his continued commitment to this case. If you’d like to make a difference in the life of a child in the way John has, we invite you to join us for an info session to learn more about advocacy and what it means to be a CASA.
John lives in Trucksville with his wife, Beth. They are the parents of three adult sons and have four grandchildren. John holds a BA in political science from Gettysburg College and a JD from the Dickinson School of Law.
