By Cindy S, CASA volunteer since 2002

In April of 2002, I was asked to serve as CASA/GAL on a case involving pre-teens, then aged 12 and 13, who had been in the court system since 1999. Originally, the children's public defender served as their GAL, but the case became very complicated and CASA was assigned.

By Jean F, CASA since 1998

I have been the CASA/GAL for a family of five children for the last ten years. When the case was assigned to me, the youngest child was two, the oldest nine. Over the years, they have been placed in numerous foster homes and have had a parade of different caseworkers and therapists. I have been the only constant adult in their lives through most of their growing up. The importance of this really hit me when recently one of the children, now fifteen, asked me to tell him what he was like when he was little, and to tell him some stories about his childhood. What a normal question for a child to ask of a mother, father, grandparent, or the person closest to him!  This boy asked me because I am the carrier of his history, something I had never considered. We can never anticipate the impact we make on the lives of the children we serve.

By Peggy W, CASA since 2008

Serving as a CASA Volunteer means:

• Being a constant in the life of a child whose world is in flux.
• Being present to be a safe sounding board.
• Being able to listen to the concerns of a child and working to find a viable way for the child to cope with these concerns.
• Understanding that a resolution/moving forward with the case may slowly unfold.
• Giving all parties involved time to "sort through" the circumstances and make decisions.

By Gloria L, CASA since 2006

I have been a CASA working on one case for 3 years. When I first started work on my case, I wondered why I was doing this…is there a need? When I would check to see that everything was going right – parents doing services, visits on time, children taken care of – everything seemed to be in order. The two boys were in a good foster home and the girl was soon placed in residential care due to many emotional issues. Initially the boys were open and comfortable with me. The girl did not want anything to do with me and said I was trying to get in her head.

By Elaine L, CASA Since 2008

As long as I can remember I heard sayings like, “things happen for a reason” and “he/she was in the right place at the right time”.  They sound like good excuses for why things happen.  I have always felt very Blessed to have never moved from my home town.  I was always surrounded by a loving family, cherished friends, satisfying careers, and a comfortable home.  Then about four years ago my husband and I were faced with the indescribable decision to relocate to the Chicago area.  At that point we had to leave our immediate and extended family as well as friends and church family.  I had no current plans of retiring from teaching preschool or leaving my “after school” activities.  Our grandchildren were getting more involved with school and sports and we were committed to being the visible grandparents for many years to come.  We were leaving our “safe little world” and venturing out into the unknown.