Volunteer Bilingual English/Spanish CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Needed to Support Children in Foster Care

By Alexandra Rivas-Smith
SVP, Marketing at William H. Sadlier, Inc.

I found out about the need for bilingual (Spanish speaking) Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) through a LinkedIn ad. I was searching for volunteer opportunities where I could use my native Spanish language skills and connect to the community of Hispanics where I feel most at home.

I had just finished nine years of being a girl scout leader, three years serving on the board of a mental health care organization, and a few years on and off as a catechist. I wanted to do something totally different.

What about my background made me well-suited to be a CASA?

Being raised in Miami as a Cuban-American, I have a real sense of what it is like to straddle two worlds: your home and family life and your school and professional life. Many of the children and families I assist through my CASA assignments also need help with navigating these worlds. To me it comes naturally and it’s a joy to help them. I’ve met wonderful families and I have found that the DCP&P bilingual social workers, their supervisors, and therapists are also outstanding.

What do you need to be a good bilingual (Spanish-English) CASA?

You have to visit your child once a month and write formal reports about them using information gathered from their social worker, therapists, doctors, and teachers. I’ve been assigned to be an advocate for toddlers through teenagers, only children as well as sets of siblings. During the pandemic the CASA role became even more important with so many children confined at home due to loss of in-person schooling, and many families dealing with financial struggles. Those are some factors that can increase risk of child abuse, so it is important to have someone checking in on these children.

We need more Spanish speakers to help foster children!

Did you know that 42% of Passaic County residents identify as Hispanic? Due to this high population of children from Hispanic backgrounds in Passaic County, there is a need for more bilingual (Spanish-English) CASAs. Though the children I’m assigned to often speak English, their families do not. It is also much easier to help children if you can speak Spanish and understand the Hispanic cultural context of many different situations. During my visits, I often spend time helping families navigate school websites and fill out required forms. I’ve also learned a lot about the Family Division of the Court system, which is really interesting.

Why do this important work?

Nothing makes you feel good like helping someone else! You learn about people, family relationships and all the services that exist to help children and families turn their lives around. If you are like me, and prefer to work directly with the people you are helping, then this volunteer work is for you.

What else do I enjoy about this work other than the obvious answer, the kids?

I’ve had the opportunity to venture into towns that I didn’t know about despite having lived in northern New Jersey for 15 years. After a visit, I often take my time to drive around and explore. I like to stop in at a local grocery store for all my favorite and hard-to-find food items or just have a Cafecito, empanada or pastelito at a local bakery. I even sit at restaurants like Noches de Colombia in Passaic to write my reports while eating some chicharron. I love the feeling of community and the mix of all the Caribbean, Central and South American cultures living together and trying to make a better life for themselves and their families in the U.S.A.

Do you think you’re too busy to take on this role?

I have a full-time job as an executive in Manhattan and also have to travel often for work, and while you do have to have some daytime availability, I do what I can on the weekends or in the evenings. My day job has lots of big picture, strategy and financial responsibilities, in addition to leading a team, and I wanted an opportunity where I could get out and be with people in their communities. Being a CASA brings great perspective to other parts of your personal and professional life. It’s been very rewarding work. I often say that if I did not need to work, I would be a full-time CASA!

If you are interested in being a CASA check out the application page and attend a virtual information session.

A farewell to two dedicated board members

For the past 9 and 10 years respectively, Peter Lefkowitz and Jonathan Aber have brought their talent and leadership skills to the Passaic County CASA Board of Trustees. Unfortunately, at the end of June, we must say farewell to them as board members, but certainly not as dedicated supporters and dear friends. 

Peter Lefkowitz, left, and Jonathan Aber, fourth from the right, at a donor appreciation event in 2019.

At Passaic County CASA, the characteristic that we value the most in our volunteers of all types is consistency. Peter and Jon have proven time and time again that they also prioritize consistency, by regularly attending and actively participating in events as diverse as board meetings, donor fellowship events, the county fair and the gala. Through their reliable support, Passaic County CASA has grown in leaps and bounds. 

In addition to his consistency,  Passaic County CASA has truly benefited from Peter’s time management and organization skills. Peter has always kept Board meetings running smoothly and on time. He’s been our resident expert on Robert’s Rules of Order and provides guidance on existing and new bylaws. Every year, Peter (who is a true canine lover) donates a dog-themed basket to the Tricky Tray, which is always quite a hit. 

A poll from the Passaic County CASA staff revealed Peter’s two qualities that will be missed the most: his sense of humor and engaging personality. “Peter brings levity when it’s much needed,” one staff member said. “He always made an effort to get to know everyone,” another added.

It was Jon’s big heart that led him to CASA. Jon and the DFM Foundation (an organization created to honor a dear friend of his who passed away) developed CASA’s first birthday gift program, which was called “The DFM Annual Birthday Fund.” Jon joined the Passaic County CASA Board of Trustees a year later and quickly became a pivotal fundraiser for the organization. Every holiday season, Jon and his family contribute to the Holiday Wish Drive, ensuring that children who are in foster care during the holidays have beautiful gifts to unwrap. Jon has served as the Voices for Children gala chairperson, where his leadership and support were key to the event’s success. 

“He’s approachable and so enthusiastic,” one CASA staff member said. “Such a dedicated supporter of CASA”. 

Though both Peter and Jon will be greatly missed, and we cannot thank them enough, we feel comforted in knowing that their contributions to Passaic County CASA and the legacy they’ve helped to create will live on for a long time to come.

Meet the CASA Staff: Ten Questions for Carol Costello

Name: Carol Costello
Title: Advocacy Supervisor
CASA Employee Since: January 2021

1)       What did you do before you worked at CASA?

I did a number of things before arriving at Passaic CASA, including working at Essex County CASA. But immediately before coming here I spent most of last year volunteering as a cook with a community feeding program in Montclair. I had been laid off from my position as a Volunteer Manager with an organization in NYC that provided career services along with clothing for disadvantaged women.

  2)       Describe your job in five words.

Supporting volunteers in their advocacy.

 3)       Can you describe what a typical day looks like for you?

A typical day for me includes tracking upcoming court dates and volunteer activities, answering volunteer questions, finding out answers to other questions, assisting with and editing court reports, adding and updating info in our database, attending court hearing(s), making daily to do lists and getting immense satisfaction from checking off items.

4)       What is the best part about working for CASA?

Knowing that children in difficult circumstances have another caring and involved adult in their lives.

5)       What is the craziest/most unusual thing you’ve done in the name of serving children in foster care?

It's early days yet here in this position so nothing too crazy has happened yet! But when I worked for Essex County CASA I was involved in their annual holiday gift program. Each December I would clock tons of miles on my car picking up donations. The toys would pile up throughout my house until they could be delivered to their intended recipients.

6)       When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When it became apparent that supermodel was not a viable career path for me, somewhere in my early teens I was drawn to law because I wanted to help the underdog. At one point, my particular aspiration was to be the first woman on the Supreme Court. Sandra Day O'Connor crushed that dream for me.

7)       What is your go-to comfort food?

Chocolate.

8)       What personality trait has gotten you in the most trouble?

My sarcastic sense of humor. It is often misunderstood , but somehow I don't learn and keep it up.

9)       What celebrity have people said you resemble or remind them of?

No one person that I can think of, but I am often told that I remind people of someone they know. I think I have one of those faces.

10)   If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three items would you bring?

Chocolate (are you sensing a theme?), a thick good book that I wouldn't mind re-reading often, and a companion - one who is easy to talk to and is skilled in wilderness survival (come to think of it, I guess that's my husband).

Making a Significant Difference For a Kid in Foster Care is More Feasible Than You Think

By Dana Chapman
Court Appointed Special Advocate

Yesterday I attended virtual court via Zoom for my CASA case.

What exactly is CASA you ask?

It’s something I found out about during the summer of 2018 that pulled at my heartstrings and made me want to get involved. It was a way I could contribute to a better life for a child in foster care, while at the same time, give my own life more purpose and meaning.

I found out about CASA while taking a yoga class at our local studio where the instructor would periodically fill us in on how it was going with teaching yoga to kids in foster care at a local group home once a month. He was so excited to share that after a year of teaching, some kids were finally sitting and waiting for class to begin, some were asking him about meditation, and others were becoming more interested in actually learning some poses.

When he first started teaching, the kids were…. let’s just say, not-so-nice to him.

They would swear and fart in class and do obnoxious things. They were downright mean.

Yet, he kept going back because he believed the practice and teachings of yoga had the ability to help at least ONE of those kids see that they could have more control over their bodies and minds, regardless of their circumstances.

In this particular class, as we were listening to our yoga teacher’s monthly report, a fellow yogi shared that she is a CASA and works with kids in foster care every day.

I was like... "Wait, what? What is that? How did you get involved? Where can I learn more?"

I learned that CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. In some states it's called a GAL, or Guardian Ad Litem. Either way, it's a volunteer position whose sole duty is to advocate for a child in court to a judge who is being pulled in a million directions by everyone involved in a foster care case. It's a role that helps the judge rule more effectively in achieving a permanent placement for that child.

It's nothing short of an amazing organization. CASA was started in the 70s in Seattle by a judge who felt he was not appropriately getting to know each child's case coming across his bench and into his courtroom. So, he brought his close friends out of retirement and gave them jobs to do. Fast-forward a couple decades, and in the 90s this organization finally came to New Jersey. Now, every county in New Jersey has a local CASA organization.

HOWEVER, sadly... not every child in New Jersey has a CASA volunteer.

Which is why I keep sharing and talking about it with my community, or anyone who will listen. It COULD be something your heart and soul has been yearning for.

I am telling you this story because I have had so many conversations with people through COVID-19 who have been searching for meaning and purpose. Trying to find themselves. Getting involved with something that pulls at your heartstrings is a beautiful, rewarding, life-giving way for you to use your passions, interests and skill set to benefit our most vulnerable youth and families.

My husband is a volunteer firefighter in our town (which is part of how I met him, but that's a story for another day) so he knows the feeling of having purpose and meaning in his own life by contributing in a way that brings some of his talents and skills to the table that benefits others.... the entire community in fact!

With each of these volunteer positions, we expect nothing in return. It is truly an act of service and that is what makes it REWARDING, and not draining. 💓

Do you volunteer somewhere?

Would you like to?????

Even if it's not something you do right now, perhaps this note from me on this blog could inspire you to start looking into it. 🤔 That's where it started for ME! And my life feels even richer and more meaningful now.

If you are curious about becoming a CASA and what all is involved, I would be delighted to give it to you straight. I've been on a case with one child for almost two and a half years. My duty is to help facilitate a permanent home for her, however long, however many years that might take, I am a constant, reliable person in this child's life, regardless of all the other instability.

One final note - it’s interesting how now I do yoga with my assigned CASA kid during our visits - and she LOVES it! She often requests that we do it together, whether we are outside, or we tune in to see each other via FaceTime. She's remembering more and more of the poses every time I see her and is very proud to show me what she can do! It warms my heart so much. I’m glad to give her the little gift of learning to use her body and release some energy, which she needs because she is separated from her biological mother and father and must feel angry, frustrated, and at times alone. Yoga is such a gift in my life. I'm so happy that now she knows it's a tool she can access anytime she wants, just like you or I. ❤️❤️❤️

Dana can be reached at danaleechapman@gmail.com.

My Message of Thanks this National Foster Care Month

By Jill Rebeor
Advocacy Supervisor
Passaic County CASA

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan declared May as National Foster Care Month as a time to acknowledge the many people involved in the lives of the children in foster care. Much like the proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” it takes many people working together to create safety, permanency, and well-being in this complex system. The caseworkers, resource parents, family members, service providers, judges, attorneys, and CASA volunteers all play a vital role.

I know that the work done in this field is often thankless, and while I try to be mindful of that and regularly say thank you to the people I encounter, I don’t think that it can be said enough. As a CASA Advocacy Supervisor, I get to see some incredible people in action. They deserve more recognition than they get, so I’m going to take this opportunity to recognize a few important parties involved in the foster care system:

I want to say thank you to all the caseworkers who show up and work every day, going above and beyond a normal 9-5 job. I want to say thank you to the caseworker who made it possible for three siblings, who were living in three different homes, to have a visit the day prior to Christmas. Another caseworker recently took a youth to the DMV to obtain a State ID and stood in line with them for hours. I could go on.

Thank you to the resource parents who have opened up their homes and their hearts. It can be a hard job, and I want to show my gratitude to all the resource parents who dealt with difficult behaviors without giving up. One resource parent I know facilitated a two day visit between the child and her mother, in order to make the child’s birthday special, when an overnight visit could not occur. Another resource parent deserves a huge thank you for facilitating a visit for her foster child and her siblings, who were adopted and now reside out-of-state. 

Thank you to the service providers for investing time and energy to help others improve their lives. These are the professionals who provide individual and family therapy, tutoring assistance, and supervise family visits. One service provider I work with became concerned after a parent did not show up for a weekly visit -- something that was very unusual -- and went out into the community looking for them to make sure they were OK. Thank you to the judges who make difficult decisions, the judges that take the time to read all of the submitted reports and listen to all of the presented facts. Thank you to the attorneys, who represent the child’s wishes and their best interests.

Lastly, thank you to all of the CASA volunteers who are dedicated to their role and to their CASA child/ren. All our CASAs bring unique strengths and contribute to their CASA child’s well-being in different ways. I could go on forever about the remarkable things CASAs do for kids, and unlike everyone else I have previously thanked, a CASA’s service is entirely voluntary. In just the past week, one CASA I know spent their Saturday morning attending their CASA child’s baseball game so they wouldn’t be the only player with no one in the stands. Another CASA traveled to their CASA child’s previous resource home to retrieve a special stuffed animal and some family photos that had been mistakenly left behind.

This National Foster Care Month, I am enormously grateful that I get to work alongside all of these wonderful people. Thank you.