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I was a CASA before I started having children of my own. In the two and a half years I was with a single child, there were five different home placements in four different towns, four different school transfers, three different social workers, three different judges in two different courts, two different lawyers, and brief times of reunion with the original parent before needing to be placed elsewhere again. In general, I was more impressed with the court system as a whole than I thought I would be, and I developed more empathy for the child's parent and other family members than I thought I would, which was an important life lesson for me. But it also struck home how confused, lonely, scared, depressed, and lost these kids can feel with 20 other random strangers making major decisions about essentially the rest of their lives. My child was old enough to know what was going on, but young enough that most people did not think it was necessary to communicate directly along the way. A CASA plays a huge role in bridging that gap and helping them be part of their own process and voicing their own feelings and thoughts on what is happening to them. My child found a permanent home with other family members, rocked through high school, and is now finishing freshman year at Harvard. An amazing picture of resilience, and the kind of change you can help create in this world, if you're willing to lend some time to listen, support, and lend your own voice to strengthen someone else's. Bring an open mind and a big heart. (Although that also develops more along the way :-) 115 children waiting! Come on Santa Barbara - we can take their hand and walk with them!!!
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If you bring your own bag to Tri-County Produce, the checker gives you a ticket you can put in boxes for various local organization. CASA is one of them. Tri-County donates $ based on number of tickets in the box. A small, but valuable way to help CASA.
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