Meet Laura Sarnak, the March Advocate Spotlight for 2023. Laura was drawn to CASA because she wanted to help children in need and she knew this was the perfect fit for her. Laura had done an internship at KidsPeace when she was in school and knew what an impact advocacy could make on a child.
Laura began advocating at CASA in March of 2017 and was assigned her first case in June of that year. She had learned about CASA from a commercial she saw on TV and decided she wanted to learn more about advocacy. After talking to the staff at CASA and understanding just how great the need is for volunteers to step up and be an advocate for these children she knew it was something she wanted to do.
The smile and the joy on the children’s faces when Laura visits them at the foster home is her most memorable experience of her advocacy. Laura states that getting to know the children has been the greatest blessing for her.
The children have achieved permanency in a safe and stable home that is full of love and support and where they will have the opportunity to become everything they are meant to be. Laura feels that being a part of brining this case to permanency is the most positive thing that happened to her children during her advocacy.
Laura advises potential advocates to go all in to choose to make a difference in a child’s life like no one else ever has. To be that one person who will speak for them in a way they are not able to, to be there when it gets hard, never leaving their side, to be the person who they can trust and support and always advocate for their very best interest in every way. Their lives are special, these kids are truly amazing and they deserve support.
Laura wishes that people understood the need for children in foster care to have a CASA advocate and to know and understand how amazing these kids are. She feels the most important part about being an advocate is being there for the children, understanding and respecting their wishes, always advocating in their best interest and staying by their side on the case until the end.
We are grateful to Laura for her commitment to her advocacy and commitment to her community. If you’d like to make a difference in the life of a child in the way Laura has, we invite you to join us for an info session to learn more about advocacy and what it means to be a CASA.
Laura lives in Exeter with her husband Tim, son Jake and daughter Tinsley. The family also has two dogs, Chance and Paisley and seven chickens! She is employed at Sarnak Roofing, Siding and Windows.
