By: Erica Fischer-Kaslander, Executive Director
15 years ago today, I walked into a borrowed cubicle at the New Jersey Community Development Corporation for my first day as the Executive Director of the newly launched Passaic County CASA. As an organization, we didn’t own a single thing; not a computer or a desk or even a pen and pencil. I remember having a combination of excitement and also fear in taking on this new opportunity.
Somehow I managed to blink during that day and now it’s 15 years later. My hair is more gray than blond and as an organization, we are a lot more than just a borrowed cubicle space.
In the last 15 years, we’ve occupied and outgrown 4 office spaces, recruited, trained, and supervised 440 CASA volunteers, advocated for a total of 1,017 children and we’ve gone from a single program with one staff member to 3 distinct programs and 22 staff supporting children in the child welfare system. We’ve survived and thrived through one pandemic, one major office flood, one major office construction project, and several natural disasters (Does anyone else remember Hurricane Irene’s flooding out all the bridges to Paterson??) In that time, and through all those experiences, CASA has grown into a community of volunteers, staff, interns, donors, and board members who care deeply about the children we serve and about each other. Together we’ve celebrated births and adoptions and honored memories after deaths; we’ve commemorated birthdays, weddings, and graduations in a way that only a community of deeply caring people can. Even as staff and volunteers sometimes move on in their professional lives, many have kept a long-term connection to us as an organization and to each other.
This is the organization I never dreamed could exist on July 2, 2007. At that point, I was thrilled if we could help make a difference for even just one child.
For all of those 15 years, there has been one child who has been a constant. To me, he embodies the CASA mission and the story of our organization. Jay was just shy of 3 years old when I first met him. I remember vividly the moment when someone handed me a copy of Jay’s court file while saying, “I have no idea why they would ask CASA to work with this child. He’s a vegetable.”
That was enough of a challenge to grab my attention and I went to visit him myself the next day. Jay is a victim of shaken baby syndrome and will always have severe effects from that abuse, but he is far from being in the condition suggested. He was nonverbal, in a wheelchair, and living in a very high-level medical facility when we met in early 2008. With his tireless advocate, Al, assigned to Jay soon after we met him, Jay has successfully been able to move to an appropriate long-term facility where he is thriving and receiving the needed therapeutic support. With the fierce advocacy of his CASA, Al, Jay has kept in touch with his biological sister, learned to walk with leg braces, and built his communication skills. One summer he even got the opportunity to go boogie boarding! Now at 18 years old, Jay’s most frequent visitor is still his CASA, Al. Al is the only person he’s known for that long of a period of time other than his sister.
Jay’s story is one of trial and triumph, of tragedy and resilience. At some point since that first day 15 years ago, it has become second nature for us as an organization to embody these same qualities of resilience and tenacity modeled by the children we serve. The road has not always been smooth or straight, but I could not imagine another journey I would have rather taken. Every volunteer, staff member, donor, and board member who has walked alongside Jay and all the CASA children like him since 2007 has my deepest admiration and appreciation. The statement is a cliche, but it truly takes a village to support children.
Thank you for being a part of our CASA village for the last 15 years. I’m honored and thrilled to have had the opportunity and so excited to see what the next 15 years may bring!
Please join us this year to celebrate at one of our upcoming events, take the opportunity to learn more about becoming an advocate if you haven’t yet, or spread the word in your community about the work we do. This will be the best year yet!