CASA Volunteer—CASA of Los Angeles
Age 70
Retired Los Angeles County Probation Officer
Long Beach, California
How did you become involved with CASA?
I found out about CASA when I was working as a probation officer.
They would put the information on our check stubs, and it was also in
my retirement newsletter. I thought it was interesting but filed it
away. I eventually reached out to CASA in order to volunteer.
How do you feel about the children you help with CASA?
These kids need so much help. Most of them have no positive male
role models. The kids
are in need of direction, motivation and guidance. I have sibling
groups and two other boys (four CASA cases). One is delinquent but
hasn’t been caught in the system yet. The other kids are socially
and educationally delayed. The mother abused the kids and is in a
psychiatric ward. I am encouraging them to do well in school. I want
to build their motivation to do something better. I really have a passion for the
children. In fact, my wife tells me that I was cut out to do this
type of work. I love CASA and think that it’s a great
organization.
What would you tell someone about the CASA volunteer
opportunity?
The need is so great, but the volunteers are
just not there. There is such a disparity between volunteers and
kids. Where are the men? Where are the minority men? There is such a
huge disconnect between the number of Black children and the number of
minority CASAs. We need to do more. We haven’t done enough outreach,
which isn’t an indictment, just an observation.
What is one thing you have learned about yourself through your
CASA volunteer experience?
I have learned that I have to try hard to disconnect my own family
experiences from my CASA children. These kids have not had the
experiences that my kids had. I try to have incremental success and
increase my patience. Some of the kids don’t understand why they
have to do well in school and the value of an education. I also learned
that the need is so great to interact with these kids. Somehow there
has to be a focus on recruitment. That’s going to take lots of
effort—recruitment and reaching people.
