Advocate Spotlight: Meghan Kosek

Meet Meghan Kosek, the June Advocate Spotlight for 2022. Meghan is not only a volunteer advocate but she is also an Advocate Coordinator at CASA of Luzerne County. She exemplifies everything a volunteer advocate should be.

Meghan began working at CASA of Luzerne County in May 2021 following her internship with the organization when she was a junior at King’s College. Meghan began advocating in December 2021 following her completion of the advocate training program.

She decided to advocate herself when she saw the great things that the volunteer advocates do and the impact they have on children . Meghan also now has an understanding of some of the difficulties of being a volunteer advocate and this makes her a more empathetic supervisor.

Meghan advocates for a sibling group. One child lives local with family and the older sibling lives in a residential treatment facility a few hours away. Meghan’s most memorable experience as an advocate is when she went to visit this youth and she was able to take her out for lunch. The child opened up to Meghan and when she was walking back to her room at the facility she turned around and gave Meghan a hug and thanked her for coming to see her. Sometimes it is the smallest gesture an advocate can do that means the most.

Through her advocacy, Meghan wrote a court report and testified to recommendations that were in the best interest of both of the children. Those recommendations were accepted by the court and services were put into place. This was a very impactful moment in Meghan’s advocacy.

Meghan would like future advocates to know that the work you do as an advocate does not go unnoticed. You get more out of your advocacy than you put in. Things don't happen overnight, patience is key. Staff and other advocates are here to support you throughout the case.

She would also like to express that the impact a CASA has on a child is truly amazing, the consistency and support in the child's life is what makes all the difference , and knowing you are giving that child a voice. There are over 500 children in care in Luzerne County alone, so if you are looking for a sign to become an advocate, this is it! Making sure our children in the community are safe, loved and feel supported is the most important thing about advocacy.

We are grateful to Meghan for her commitment to her advocacy and her position as an Advocate Coordinator. If you’d like to make a difference in the life of a child in the way Meghan has, we invite you to join us for an info session to learn more about advocacy and what it means to be a CASA.

Meghan is a graduate of King’s College with a BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice (Go Monarchs!). She lives in Plains with her 3 cats, Milo, Sidney and Grey and her German Shepherd, Remy (the unofficial CASA mascot). When Meghan is not advocating she enjoys Cross Fit and yoga.

Advocate Spotlight: Carlee Strish

Meet Carlee Strish, the May Advocate Spotlight for 2022. Carlee began her journey as an advocate for CASA of Luzerne County in December 2019. Carlee was immediately assigned a case and continues to advocate for that child to this day.

Carlee is employed at the St. Jude School in the Diocese of Scranton. Through her work as an educator she has a great understanding that children generally don’t have a voice. She began following the story of CASA of Luzerne County in 2013 when she read about the program starting in Luzerne County. A little voice in her head was telling her to get involved. Her husband convinced her to follow that voice and he advocated for her to be the voice of a child by his willingness to step in whenever needed in their own family if the case required her attention. She met Annie and John at an information session and she knew for sure that she wanted to advocate- one more tiny nudge from her husband and she signed up for training.

Carlee’s most memorable experience of her advocacy so far is watching the foster parents of the child she advocates for being so selfless throughout the process. They have shed tears for the biological parents and in fear that they would lose the child in their home to reunification. Witnessing these foster parents have such compassion and empathy for the family who could not take care of their children has been touching. These foster parents encompass the altruistic ideal of fostering children.

Carlee would like to advise anyone considering becoming an advocate to “Just do it already” as her husband advised her. Anyone in the CASA office is always willing to help. Don’t let the fear of thinking you won’t do it well enough hold you back. When you have no voice of your own, any voice is better. Just being willing to speak up on someone’s behalf is a gift not everyone has.

She wishes that more people understood that a CASA volunteer is paired with a child intentionally. The advocate and the child are evaluated to ensure they are a good fit and the child is chosen for you for a reason.

The most important thing about being an advocate to Carlee is her confidence and willingness to disagree with people who have more education and experience in the court system than she does. It is sometimes unnerving to disagree with a parent’s attorney, but Carlee truly believes in advocating for the best interest of the child, so she will disagree when necessary and that is important. Her role is to use the information she gathered to recommend what she believes is in the best interest of the child, not the adults involved, including the biological parents and the foster parents.

Carlee would like to add that anyone can and should advocate as a CASA volunteer. However, there are also other ways to help. People can support CASA through attending fundraisers such as NEPA Sings and CASAblanca. People can also remember CASA in their charitable donations or by patronizing businesses that support CASA.

We are grateful to Carlee for her commitment to her advocacy. If you’d like to make a difference in the life of a child in the way Carlee has, we invite you to join us for an info session to learn more about advocacy and what it means to be a CASA.

Carlee was born and raised in Pittsburgh but is a proud member of the Mountain Top community for 25 years. he is married to her supportive husband George and they have four children, Maria, George IV, Anthony and Donato. They also have a rescued mix breed dog named Kova.