Paying Back in Ways Beyond Imagination: Tom and Barb Sedoric

Tom and Barb Sedoric have been dear friends to CASA for decades. Their commitment to sharing CASA’s mission with others while providing thoughtful and generous financial support to CASA is truly a gift. Often referring to CASA volunteer advocates as “angels on earth,” Tom and Barb fully understand the importance of CASA’s impact on those children who are the innocent victims of substance abuse, poverty, homelessness and mental illness.

Tom first heard CASA-NH CEO and President Marty Sink speak during CASA’s early years while he was serving on the board of another nonprofit aligned with children and their needs. The critical need for the advocacy of neglected and abused children resonated with Tom. He knew “this need would never go away.”

Barb also became interested in CASA’s mission. Her early career path as an estates and trusts paralegal and her personal experience of divorce with two young children, Barb understood the complexities of the legal system.

“The words ‘best interest for the child’ always stuck in my head. I always wanted to do something in the legal realm to help children,” Barb said.

Thus, Barb became a CASA volunteer advocate for three years representing the voice of young children in court cases and found the work “very hard and rewarding, but very important.”

Philanthropy and service are ingrained in Tom and Barb’s DNA. Both of their parents were very active volunteers and supporters in their communities in Beloit, WI, and Rochester, NY. With respect to his father, Tom remarked that “there wasn’t a piece of the community that he didn’t touch—from serving on the YMCA board to volunteering for the community fund.”  The same is true of Barb’s two parents, Bruce and Nancy Bates.

Both Barb and Tom feel blessed and fortunate to be able to give back to the community, both personally and professionally. As a nationally recognized fiduciary  at The Sedoric Group in Portsmouth, Tom takes great care and pleasure in helping people with their charitable wishes and planning. Barb turned her training and expertise as an estates and trusts professional, together with her personal experiences, to found LastingMatters.com. The LastingMatters Organizer is a resource, guide and practical planning tool to assist all adults with the process of planning ahead for incapacity and death.

Barb and Tom believe deeply in CASA’s “competence, efficiency and advocacy.”

“We continue to be impressed with the service they provide and how they provide it,” Tom says, adding they will never forget a family court judge stating openly that, after doing the math, he “believes CASA saves the taxpayers millions of dollars annually due to their volunteer-driven business model and efficiency.” Tom and Barb say they recognize CASA provides services in an incredibly efficient and caring manner in a legal system that is already strained.

With the growing implications of the opioid crisis on families and children, the impact of this epidemic on CASA’s resources has been significant. Without CASA’s volunteer advocates, there would not be enough people to speak on behalf of victimized children.  Barb knows how critical this advocacy is.

“I tell people all the time, if you are retired or have free time, volunteering as a CASA  is something you can do to make a significant difference in the lives of children,” Barb says.

Barb also suggests the importance of spreading the word regarding CASA’s mission by recruiting others to support CASA financially and by hosting an event to share CASA’s mission with others.

“Giving back to our community pays us back in ways beyond imagination,” Tom says.

We are deeply grateful to all our “angels on earth”— from donors like Tom and Barb, and all our donors, to you and your support! THANK YOU!

 

The Sedoric Group of Steward Partners – 29 Maplewood Ave. Suite C, Portsmouth, NH 03870 603 427 8870. Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC and The Sedoric Group maintain a separate professional business relationship with, and our professionals offer securities through, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC. Raymond James is not affiliated with and does not offer opinions or services of CASA.