Advocate Spotlight: Ann Way

Meet Ann Way, the March Advocate Spotlight for 2025. Ann's journey to becoming a CASA volunteer began years ago when she was working as a school counselor for grades 7-12. One day, a friend and local Children and Youth Caseworker approached her about the idea of becoming a CASA. Ann was intrigued, so she obtained the application and fully intended to train as a volunteer. However, life had other plans when she moved to Wyoming County for a new position that same year.

When Ann learned that Wyoming County was starting its own CASA program, she immediately felt a calling and said, “What do I need to do?” She was eager to get involved, especially because the friend who had originally encouraged her to join had sadly passed away. Fulfilling a promise she made years ago, Ann became the first CASA volunteer in Wyoming County being sworn in in August 2024.

With a background in education, especially as a school counselor, Ann found that many of the skills she’d developed over the years were helpful in her new role. But what she truly enjoys is the opportunity to work with people and agencies from a fresh perspective. Each day brings new learning experiences, and she loves that no two days are ever the same.

Ann’s message to others who might be considering becoming a CASA volunteer is clear: there’s a huge need, especially in Wyoming County. She encourages anyone who wants to make a difference in a young person’s life—especially those facing difficult situations—to take the leap and join the CASA program.

Some of Ann’s most memorable moments in her CASA journey include being sworn in by Wyoming County President Judge Russell Shurtleff, marking her place as the very first CASA in the county. She also treasures the moment she met her CASA child face-to-face for the first time, beginning their relationship. Most of all, Ann feels incredibly grateful for the support she’s received from her CASA Supervisor, Jade Levi, whose advice and guidance have been instrumental in her advocacy work.

Through her dedication and passion, Ann has made a lasting impact on the lives of children in her community, fulfilling not just a promise, but also a deep personal calling.

We are grateful to Ann 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 Ann has, we invite you to join us for an info session to learn more about advocacy and what it means to be a CASA.

Advocate Spotlight: Carol Fahnestock

Meet Carol Fahnestock, the April Advocate Spotlight for 2023. Carol became interested in CASA after working for a family law attorney. She saw what she felt was the best and worst of the foster care system and felt like she could do more to help.

Carol began advocating at CASA in 2013 but decided to take a break from the program. She returned to CASA in the Fall of 2021 and states she has not regretted it for one second. Carol has shared the personal story of losing her oldest daughter in 2018. She felt like she needed to do something to help another child so another parent would not get “that call”. In the past five years nothing felt right until she became involved in CASA again. Carol stated, “ I feel like my daughter would be proud of the work I have done.”

Carol’s most memorable moment was an email she received from a foster parent in which she said she felt like the child Carol had been appointed to had no voice until she started working on her case. She felt like the child was just another file. The foster parent stated that after speaking with Carol she felt such relief that someone, a human being, was going to protect her.

Being able to keep in touch with the case worker, Guardian ad Litem and foster parents to keep them all on the same page has been one of the most positive changes she has made for her CASA child. Carol noted that, “ Often in these cases the lack of communication leads to court dates and appointments being missed. I try to make sure I have the most recent information so I can inform the court of what is in the best interest of the child.”

Carol acknowledges that while often these cases are difficult, the reward of seeing a positive effect on a child’s life is indeed enough to make the heartache bearable. Her favorite saying is from Dr. Seuss, “To the world, you may only be one person, but you may be the world to one person.” She believes this is the core of CASA, be that one person for a child who needs a voice.

Carol would highly recommend getting involved in CASA, with so many children in the foster care system case workers and guardians often don’t have the time needed to do everything for these children. She urges you to get involved and you can change a child’s world forever.

We are grateful to Carol 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 Carol has, we invite you to join us for an info session to learn more about advocacy and what it means to be a CASA.

Carol lives in Kingston and is employed as an executive assistant to the SVP for Customer Care at Astound Broadband. In 2011, Carol was appointed to the Wyoming Valley West Youth Aid Panel and she continues to serve on this panel and is proud of its success.