Meet CASA Volunteer Fred Hurwitz

Fred Hurwitz has served as a  CASA volunteer advocate for 23 children from 13 different families. He has witnessed successful adoptions and reunifications,

and assisted in providing teens who are aging out of the foster care system with important skills for adulthood. When you ask Fred why he continues to serve as a CASA volunteer advocate after nearly 30 years, he says it is simply because he knows he is making a difference.

“CASA volunteer advocates know the children better than anyone else on the case,” Fred says. “You stay with the children through the length of a case, and that is powerful.” Fred speaks of his advocacy with pride and dedication for the children he has served. “When you do good work, the judges listen. You are influential,” he says.

As Fred speaks to new potential CASA volunteer advocates, he ensures that they know they will have the proper training and support to successfully be an advocate. “Everything that you learn in the initial 40-hour training is reinforced throughout the length of your case,” Fred says.

Becoming a CASA volunteer advocate does take a fair amount of organization. When attending court hearings and meetings, Fred takes notes and later expands upon them in his court reports. His notes allow him to quickly recall what has been happening on the case and easily cite the most important matters to the judge.

One of CASA’s longest-serving advocates, Fred has always maintained a full-time job through his nearly 30 years. He says that while it takes planning, the time commitment of his advocacy can be very flexible. “If you are prepared in court with a calendar, you can easily manage your schedule,” Fred says.

As Fred meets new potential CASA volunteer advocates and discusses how he has made an impact, he shares truthfully about his experience. “Very few outcomes are perfect. You have to have the personality of ‘I know that I have improved the circumstances of the child,’” Fred says.

Reflecting on his prior cases, Fred talks about his most rewarding case involving a young child abused by her parents. Fred was there as the child made an incredible recovery after a severe trauma and began to flourish in her pre-adoptive home. With strength, resiliency and her CASA Fred by her side, this child was united with her new forever family for a safe, permanent future.

While Fred’s decades-long commitment to CASA is a somewhat unique example, his compassionate and dedicated advocacy for New Hampshire’s children is not dissimilar from others.

Whether CASA volunteer advocates take one case or 10 before moving on, they all wish to make a profound difference in the life of a child. Their continuous, professional advocacy is crucial in CASA’s mission of reaching 100% of our state’s children experiencing abuse and neglect. As a CASA volunteer advocate, every case that your encounter will be different, but you will always be making a difference in the life of a victimized child.