Picture this: The year is 1993. Gas is $1.11 a gallon and a postage stamp costs 29¢. It’s the year of low-fat everything, and SnackWell’s cookies are in every grocery cart. Ty, Inc. has released their first series of Beanie Babies, with offerings including Legs the Frog, Squealer the Pig and Chocolate the Moose. And it’s a golden year at the cinema, with the debut of the “Jurassic Park” franchise, the perennial rom-com favorite “Sleepless in Seattle,” and children’s hits “Aladdin,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Free Willy.” Plus, a movie ticket costs less than $5.

At Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Hampshire, another distinguishing event of 1993 is unfolding. A pre-service training class has graduated not one but two advocates who, an astonishing 30 years later, will still be providing their strong and steadfast voices for the children who need them the most.

Fred Hurwitz

Fred Hurwitz, a computer engineer, was drawn to CASA of NH after working on a computer systems project to aid child support enforcement in the state of Michigan. Through this work he learned that in Detroit alone there were 20,000 fathers who were themselves youths receiving child support and having to pay child support to children of their own. He says, “I just fell over hearing that. I thought, ‘but for the luck of the draw,’ and I knew I had to give back. I wanted to be able to contribute in a professional way, and CASA fit the bill for what I was interested in and what I’d be capable of contributing.”

Thirty years on, in addition to continuing work as a volunteer advocate, Fred shares his decades of knowledge and experience with other CASAs in his role as a peer coordinator. The following are a few of the valuable insights he has gained.

“Early on,” says Fred, “I learned that frequently there’s more than one serious problem in the family, often mental illness and drug abuse. That was something I didn’t understand before; just how connected serious issues are and how difficult that was for the person to deal with.”

“A second thing I’ve come to understand is the demands we’re putting on parents – it’s a lot. Case parents have one year to correct [the circumstances that brought the case about], and it’s not a lot of time for people who are to one degree or another experiencing dysfunction.” But as Fred shares with others, “I don’t think I’ve ever not had empathy for the parent, even in the worst case. We’re not looking for perfection at the end of the year. We’re looking for someone who has made a commitment and is making progress.”

Bernadette Melton-Plante, a CASA program director who has worked with Fred for many years, explains why he is so successful at working with both parents and children, saying, “Fred’s attention to detail is remarkable. He leaves no stone unturned in his case work. Fred has a nice knack of asking hard questions in a very non-threatening way. Parents and children alike feel safe with Fred, his soft-spoken voice is calming and reassuring to all.”

Another lesson Fred has learned is the power early intervention has on psychological and emotional healing. “On one case, the youngest of a group of siblings was frequently exhibiting inappropriate sexualized behaviors due to the abuse they had endured. We got the child placed with a very experienced therapeutic foster family. They had gone through lots of training, and they understood how to execute the therapeutic plan. The child, over the course of their time there, slowly continued to improve. Eventually the child was ready to be adopted. At that point we had gotten it down to where there were just minor behavior issues, but the day they moved permanently into their adoptive home those behaviors stopped as well. That day. It was very powerful.”

Fred says, “I ran into the family a few years later. I didn’t notice the child, but they noticed me. They came running up to me, grabbed me around the legs, and told me how happy they were to see me. I was surprised, because I hardly expected the child to remember me. I said that, and the child said to me ‘You were the one who told me I would get a family, and I did.’ It was a very satisfying outcome.”

It is because of this insight that Fred is pushing for more therapeutic services for a child he is currently serving – and due to the respect both Fred and the CASA program have earned over the years, the judge on the case is listening. Normally case review hearings take place every 90 days, but due to Fred’s concern the judge has called for an additional hearing. “I said I’m afraid that we’re going in too light on services, and we’re going to come back for the six-month review and there’s not going to be any progress. And the judge said ‘I agree with you.’ So, in that particular case we’re having a 45-day hearing so we can meet halfway between the review hearings to make sure things are on track.”

This is certainly not the only time Fred’s experience has positively served his case children. He tells about a case that came about during the course of an eviction. “DCYF was called due to the status of the house, and the children were removed over a holiday weekend. The children were afraid when I met with them. I was able to advocate for their return. The issues weren’t that severe, and they could safely be at home while we resolved the problems.” Fred’s competent assessment of the situation helped the scared children to be more quickly reunified with their parents.

Not only is Fred amongst the longest-serving CASA volunteers, he is perhaps the CASA who has served the longest time on a single case. It was also his very first case, and one that would stretch over 18 years. As with all of his cases, Fred gained valuable takeaways.

As Fred explains, “This was before there was such a strong effort as there is now to make sure the cases close in a reasonable amount of time. The children never got adopted, so they just stayed in the system. That stands out in my mind for a number of reasons. Every time I don’t like an outcome (this is the engineer in me), I look back and think what went wrong, and what can I do differently next time.”

He continues, “One of the things I learned was to trust my instincts. I had instincts about certain things, and I pushed them, but now I would push them even harder. The big thing on that case was that the pre-adoptive parents asked the children if they wanted to be adopted, and the children said no. At that point I felt I really understood the children, and my view was that what they were really saying is ‘you’re asking me to turn my back on my mother.’ What we were never able to successfully get across to that family is ‘don’t ask the question’ – start the adoption process, and if the children really don’t want to be adopted, they’ll make it clear. But I think they want to be adopted, and they don’t feel like a full part of your family — they’re tenuous. They could be ousted at any time, because it’s happened to them before. They need to be adopted for that sense of security.”

Fred says, “The idea of permanency was reinforced for me. The outcomes for those kids was not terribly good. They always felt they could be kicked out at any time. I know they felt that way, because they told me. There have since been systemic changes that make it so that case wouldn’t have occurred that way; now we would move the children [to a different adoptive home]. When I talk to newer CASAs or when I’m mentoring someone, I say this is one of the things I’ve learned – how important it is for the kids to know that it’s permanent. That they belong there.”

Fred takes this and all of the lessons he’s learned as a CASA to heart, and generously shares his insights and experience. Whether it’s through his casework, helping to mentor fledgling volunteers or recruit new ones, or in giving financial support, he is an ever-constant boon to CASA’s mission of bettering the lives of children. His current program manager at CASA, Dellie Champagne, sings Fred’s praises, saying, “Fred Hurwitz has never slowed down. He approaches every case with strong determination as he only wants what is best for the children he serves. He has maintained this commitment for 30 years! He is the Energizer Bunny! I love working with Fred, as he pays attention to every detail and his reports are so thorough.” This is high praise indeed, as written court reports are one of the key ways CASAs provide the vital information they gather to the judge.

Fred’s life outside of CASA is full of a variety of interests. He and his wife Sue raised three children and now help provide daycare and afterschool care – along with a cheering section at soccer games – to their seven grandchildren, who range in age from 16 to a one-year-old. For close to 20 years they’ve also trained seeing-eye dogs. Fred says, “We both love dogs, and we were both deprived of dogs as children, so that’s something we enjoy. We train them from eight weeks of age until they’re 18 months old. We’ve always had a dog. The joke is that when we were dating I gave my wife a dog as a gift, and then we had to get married because of the dog.” Having experienced the thought, care and attention to detail that Fred puts into all aspects of his casework, we at CASA have to assume that this was all part of his plan.

Marc Clement

Marc Clement first learned of Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Hampshire by way of a notice in his church’s bulletin. As a child psychologist and professor at Colby-Sawyer College, where he taught for 35 years, Marc felt called to this volunteer opportunity as one that would befit him both personally and professionally.

Marc says, “I teach courses on child abuse, neglect, domestic violence and then the usual psychology courses. CASA work fits in nicely with what I teach, and it helps me be aware of the types of organizations and agencies that provide services for children. Representing the best interest of children in the courtroom is enlightening for my courses — it keeps me up-to-date on what was going on in the legal aspect of child abuse and neglect.”

Personally, Marc says, “It also satisfies a need that I have to give back to people who have had a bad break in life and who don’t have the resources that I may have. I think I can help people, I can help children. I sort of live by the motto of to whom much is given, much will be expected. I had a very enjoyable childhood, I had a good family, and I felt that I was very fortunate as a child. Clearly a lot of children don’t have that. So, anything that I can do in the CASA realm, I appreciate the opportunity to do it.”

In his time as a CASA Marc has supported dozens of children. While every case has its own special moments, a case that ended somewhat recently stands out to Marc, as he served the child on it for many years. Marc says, “This case was very gratifying, because it ended in an adoption for a teenage boy. Teenagers are hard to place sometimes.”

Marc explains that the child was abandoned by both parents, briefly reunited with the mother, but ultimately abandoned again. The boy was then moved through a variety of foster homes and group homes. During this time Marc was a consistent presence in this child’s life. He regularly visited the boy and learned about the circumstances of the case, kept the judge informed of vital information, and made recommendations on what was in the boy’s best interests.

But time doesn’t stop for children during these cases. And so along with his professional work on the case, Marc was also there personally for the child as he grew into a youth, from providing advice on buying flowers for a date to the school dance, to being the voice on the other end of the first personal phone call the boy had ever received.

Ultimately the happy moment came when the youth was matched with the right family for him. Marc says, “They enjoy a lot of the same things that this boy enjoys, and he has a lot of opportunities. They all enjoy sports, and they have the resources to put him in a school that is a good fit for him. He lived with them for a year and maybe a couple months, and then they adopted him. It was fantastic, for me and for the social worker who worked on that case for probably six or seven years.”

Marc’s CASA program manager, Mark Rissala, worked alongside him during the completion of this case. He says, “Marc is compassionate and advocated in a supportive and effective manner for this boy. He knows and understands this youth well, which he clearly expressed to the court. Marc never wavered in his support and stayed with this boy until he was adopted into his forever home.”

Through the years Marc has shown he can be counted on to help wherever the need is. This includes working on particularly tough cases involving sexual abuse, where his background makes him especially valuable. But, as with many CASAs, there is an age group that he is especially fond of working with. He says, “The cases that I particularly like are the ones with infants and toddlers. It’s my area of expertise. My training and doctoral work was with younger children, so that’s what I like and I think I do a very good job with that.”

He continues, “I like to have those kids because they’re in a critical period of development, and I think if you can intervene at that age and modify or repair the damages that have occurred, I think those children have a better chance in life. And sometimes it’s easier working with those parents. A lot of times with parents of infants and toddlers, they simply don’t know what to do. You know, we don’t have any training for parents. If you have a child you have a child, there’s no license or requirements. I think some young people have children because they’ve had a rough life, they haven’t been successful in lots of different things, and they think the one thing they can be successful with is to have a child. They think nobody loved me and now my child is going to love me. But of course, it doesn’t work that way. I haven’t met many parents who really want to hurt or neglect their children. They just don’t know what to do. So, if they can get into training programs where people help them that can have a significant impact on their children.”

In reflecting on his long service as a CASA, there are a couple of things that Marc has found particularly rewarding. “One is personal,” he says. “It satisfies a need and a desire I have to give back. Also, no matter how the case goes, I always get the sense that what I’m doing is improving the life of this child. Permanency is the goal. Sometimes it takes a lot longer than you hope it would take, but as long as the child is safe, as long as the child is progressing in a happy environment, I feel like I’m doing what I need to do.”

Marc’s work supporting the wellbeing of children extends far beyond his role as a CASA volunteer. For 26 years he has chaired and co-chaired the New Hampshire Child Fatality Review Committee through the DOJ and now DHHS. “It’s a pretty high-powered committee,” he says. “It includes the chief medical examiner, people from DHHS, law enforcement, other medical personal, and the head of DCYF. We review the deaths of children who died from unnatural or preventable causes, then work on recommendations to try to reduce the probability of these deaths occurring in the future.”

In July Marc was recognized for his monumental contribution on the committee when he was awarded the Theresa Covington Award for Excellence in Child Fatality Review at the annual Safe Kids Worldwide Childhood Injury Prevention Convention (PrevCon).

Marc spends his personal time with family, friends and in the garden. A grandfather of five, he is often taking part in family activities. He and his wife Patricia also travel, he says, “usually in conjunction with visiting friends and family.” And while at home, you’ll find Marc in his large vegetable garden, “fussing around” developing new flower beds with his wife, or in his lupine nursery. Whether it’s friendships, vegetables and flowers or children, Marc is a constant nurturer, helping all he encounters to grow and thrive.

If you would like to become a CASA volunteer advocate and help children, consider attending an upcoming virtual information session to learn more, or submit an application today. 

 

At the time of writing it’s early May, and Mother’s Day is coming up. In the main office of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Hampshire sits a helpful reminder – a stack of beautiful cards provided by volunteer advocate Pete King. They were designed by Pete’s friend Jill Weber, who donated her artwork to raise funds for CASA. In addition to the cards he purchases for staff to give to the moms in their lives, Pete will also be mailing out cards of his own.

“I’ve made my list,” Pete says. “I have 22 Mother’s Day cards I will send this year. This is my way of staying in touch with the moms and foster moms of the children I’ve been on cases for. With many of them that’s the only contact I will have with them, I’ll send them a card each year. Usually they text me back and tell me how they’re doing and send me a picture of the child.” He reflects, “I think I’m the only guy in the world who sends 20 Mother’s Day cards.” It’s a claim we can neither confirm nor disprove, but when it comes to letting moms know how much they’re appreciated, Pete would welcome some friendly competition.

Bulk card purchases and monthly donations are just some of the many ways Pete supports CASA. Having seven years of experience as a CASA volunteer, he is fully committed to the organization’s mission. “It’s made me a better person. People know that I’m a CASA, and I think they really respect me for doing it. I have gotten praise from many people. And it’s real praise, it’s not just ‘Hey, nice job.’ I’m proud of the work I do. I’m proud of the cases I have, I’m proud of trying to recruit, to talk up CASA, to raise money, anything I can do for CASA. It’s just a great organization. I’m happy to be part of it.”

The accounts Pete can give of his CASA cases are as remarkable and special as the effort he puts into them. One that often comes to mind for him involved a girl under 10 who was living in placement with her relative. It was not the ideal situation in that the relative was only set up to have her for the weekend, but ended up needing to keep the child long-term. Pete explains, “The girl didn’t have her stuff, she only had space on a couch. But people kept saying ‘Oh, she’s fine, she’s so darn resilient.’ They’d say, ‘She has been through so much and she’s a tough little girl.’ I spent a lot of time with this young girl because she just didn’t really have a connection with the relative. The adult was there, but the relationship was kind of distant.”

He continues, “One day, the girl and I were doing a craft and talking, and she broke down and started to cry, and gave me a hug, and that’s when I knew she’s not a resilient kid, she’s a hurt kid, and she’s hiding it. That was really the beginning of her opening up and getting some help, and she’s a great little kid — a great teenager — now. I was happy that I was there for that moment when she finally realized ‘I can cry, I can reach out to someone for help.’”

Pete began volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate while still working fulltime. One thing that surprised him about being a CASA is how well his outside experience prepared him for the role. He says, “I was an engineer, and because of that I’m well organized, I like to plan, and I like to make schedules.” Pete’s project management skills shine in his advocacy work. “It’s sort of like running a project. You don’t assume it’s just going to keep going, you check in, you set milestones, you set expectations, and if things don’t go as planned, you make adjustments.”

Pete had cause to kick his planning and management skills into high gear during the pandemic. “Another special case began when I got a call that there was a child in the hospital born substance-exposed and essentially abandoned. Mom was expelled from the hospital for actively using substances, I think when the child was a day old. This was in the beginning of Covid-19, when nobody knew what was going on, and the hospital was in complete lockdown. The infant couldn’t be released, and only close relatives were being allowed to visit patients. I spent days on the phone trying to get access into the hospital, and I finally got in touch with a social worker at the hospital and convinced them to grant me special permission to visit. So, because of that I would spend about three hours a day going into the hospital and just sitting and rocking her, just so this baby had some skin-to-skin contact with a human being. The nurses loved her, but they had their jobs to do, and their job wasn’t to sit and rock her all day.”

Pete says, “They did find a foster mom, and the foster mom told me they wouldn’t let her visit the child. I said yes, they will, this is the person you need to talk to. After that we switched off, and the foster mom spent hours and hours in there; the child was in the hospital for about a month. That child is a great little one, and she and her sister have since been adopted by a wonderful young couple.”

There are no two child welfare cases that can be treated exactly the same; each situation, each child, each family is unique. But Pete has found his cases do have a unifying theme. “It gives me satisfaction to see that every one of my cases has had a successful outcome,” he says. “And by that, I mean the children have ended up in a much better place, sometimes with their parents who have overcome their issues and addressed them, and sometimes in adoptive homes, and sometimes with relatives. But in all cases I can look back and say the children are better off, and I made a difference in it.”

Another unifying theme is the care Pete shows for case parents. “I love it when I can help a parent who has been struggling,” he says. Pete explains that most of his cases have come about due to a combination of drug use and mental health issues. “I have seen cases where these parents have no one to trust, they have no one to help guide them in any way. I find it really satisfying when I get a case where I can make a bond with a parent and really help them get into treatment, and help them to where they can call me if they have an issue. Substance misuse gets in the way for these parents. But I’ve had a couple of cases where moms have gotten clean and sober and they have their children back and they’re just wonderful moms. I’d have to say all the moms are wonderful mothers when they’re not using, every one of them is. That’s been just super rewarding.”

So, to the moms we work with at CASA, and to all moms, thank you, and Happy Mother’s Day from Pete King and CASA of New Hampshire!

If you would like to become a CASA volunteer advocate and help children, consider attending an upcoming virtual information session to learn more, or submit an application today. 

“This is one of those nice little fairytales where it starts out ‘Once upon a time …’ and goes through to ‘The End’ where they live happily ever after. It was my very first case with CASA — my introduction to the CASA world.” 

This is how Thomas Monahan sets the scene when talking about the case he completed in 2021, during which he advocated for three siblings who had been removed from their home due to parental abuse and substance misuse. 

The children were placed in two foster homes, both about a 40-mile drive for Thomas. Even with the distance, he stuck to his scheduled monthly visits with each of the children, and communicated frequently with their DCYF case worker.  

“It was fun to go see the kids,” Thomas recounts. He soon learned that the oldest child loved puzzles. “She staggered my imagination with how quickly she could put a puzzle together. She has a strong intellect. It was an awful shame to see how she had been deteriorating in her home situation with an abusive father and an abused mother. There were no positive opportunities for any of those kids to grow and reach their real potential.”  

In the span between the case opening and Thomas’s appointment, the father became incarcerated. Once Mom was no longer living in fear of abuse and violence, she could focus on her own recovery. By the final hearings, she had completed parenting courses, worked with a parent aide, and participated in a drug treatment program. “She worked hard,” Thomas says. “She definitely wanted her children back and she wasn’t going to let anything stand in her way, even with all the hoops she had to jump through and all the mountains she had to climb.” All three children were able to reunite with their mother. “She did an outstanding job, and it was an admirable ending to the case.” 

Thomas’s understanding and love of children are what really shone through on this case (he himself is a father of four, and in addition to his work as a CASA, he serves as grandpa-nanny to two of his grandchildren). Likely due to the abuse they had experienced, the children were initially very wary of new people. However, through his patience and consistency, Thomas allowed the children to become comfortable around him. “When I met with the children, I made sure I never caused them distress or harm. I would always play a game with them, or color, or work on a jigsaw puzzle together.” 

By the close of the case, the warming effect that Thomas had cultivated was unmistakable. Since he had built a positive relationship with the mother, they planned a final visit so he could say goodbye to the children. “I found myself with a little boy clinging to each leg, and the little girl was hugging me around the waist — and I had been a total stranger to them just a year before. That’s enough to bring a tear to my eye; it’s a moment that will always stay in my mind. Just to have those little children showing that trust, and concern, and care. I’d like to think a bond had been created. I left on a melancholy but happy note.” 

Although there is a need for advocates statewide, Thomas, a lifelong resident of northern New Hampshire, hopes to raise awareness of the need for CASA volunteers in the North Country. “There are children up here who suffer just as much from abuse as the ones in Manchester, Nashua, Keene, and Rochester,” he explains. “I hope that people in my community will see my story and say ‘If Tom can do it, I can too.’ If I can be a posterchild, then that would be a great joy to me. I’m not looking for anything for myself, but these children deserve an advocate.”  

We can’t thank Thomas enough for his care, concern, and dedication to children in need of advocacy.

If you would like to become a CASA volunteer advocate and help children, consider attending an upcoming virtual information session to learn more, or submit an application today. 

After retiring early, Kathleen Bernstein knew she still had more to give the world. Having “spent enough time making rich companies richer,” as she puts it, Kathleen decided to donate the rest of her working career away. She and her husband adopted their own two children, who are now grown, when they were six-and-a-half and almost five years old. By stepping forward to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate, Kathleen works directly to help other children either be reunited with their parents or have a smooth transition to adoption.

Kathleen isn’t one of the longest tenured volunteers at CASA of New Hampshire. But looking at the considerable list of children she’s advocated for in her three years as a CASA—11 children from six families—that’s hard to believe. The need for more CASA volunteers is immense, and it’s tough for Kathleen to turn down a case knowing it could mean leaving a child without anyone solely dedicated to looking out for them and their wellbeing.

Kathleen remarks, “If I had to do it all over again I would. I would definitely go through the training. I think I get more than I give to my kids. I’m proud when they sing in their high school concerts, and when they introduce me around. It will be the volunteer option I will do until I can’t do it any longer. Although maybe I won’t take on four cases at once like I have now!”

On one of her current cases, Kathleen is the advocate for a youth who has been in the protective system a number of years. Originally, the child had a male CASA, but as she got older it was agreed that she could benefit from the support of a female CASA. “She was a teenager when I started working with her,” says Kathleen, “and I assumed that I would be with her until she was 18 to 21.” This is because sadly, the adoption rate for teens is much lower than for younger children. “She’s had a rough life. But through some additional efforts it now looks like she’s going to be adopted soon. When we all got on the conference call and got to tell her that we’d found the family for her, we were all crying.”

“It’s worth the effort,” Kathleen says. “It’s worth the time you put into it, as little or as much as you can put into it. If you can only take one case, once case is still good. One case is one child or a few siblings that you can help show that somebody else cares.” She continues, “They’re hard cases, they’re really hard cases, but then it’s all worthwhile when you get a child reunited with their parents or adopted, especially if they are in their teens. She and her success make the hard days worth it. Now she has a very loving family.”

Many CASAs have their niche—an age range or set of family dynamics or circumstances where they excel and find particular gratification. Volunteers are encouraged to accept cases that are the right fit for them. While Kathleen has advocated for children of all ages (like the four-year-old with whom, she says, “we play tag until my feet can’t take anymore”), it’s working with teens that she finds most rewarding.

“With the teenagers, sometimes it’s challenging getting them to talk and open up. A six-year-old will tell you anything. But with a teenager you get a lot of ‘It’s OK. Yeah, I’m good.’ It’s challenging to build that relationship, so that they trust you and they know that you’re going to be there. But it’s the most rewarding when they finally say, ‘OK, this is what I want…’”

Kathleen builds these relationships by pointing out to her teens that CASAs are volunteers. For instance, she says, “When I explain that I can’t take them anywhere in my car because I’m a volunteer they say, ‘You’re a volunteer? Why would you do this?’ And I tell them it’s because I like young adults, and being able to be the one person who comes and talks to them. Sometimes we’re the one person in their lives who isn’t paid to be there. The older ones are a little more jaded. They see a lot of therapists and social workers, but I’m just there because I want to be there.”

Kathleen admits that it’s not always easy being a CASA. She explains, “There are nights where I lose sleep over what I’m going to say, or what I’m going to do—for example, when I’m fighting for a child’s right to stay in their school district when there are financial decisions that counteract what is in their best interest. But I believe I’m making a difference, even if it’s only one child, one year, one life at a time.”

One child, one year, one life at a time. Kathleen’s words are humble, but in her case, this can be multiplied by 11. In the history of CASA of NH, it’s over 10,000 children. 10,000 lives. But Kathleen’s message is clear: even if it was only one, all her effort, even the difficult moments, would still be worth it.

Kathleen has given so much, and she has also gained some. “I think I look at the world a little differently in some ways. Moms have it hard, dads have it hard, and the world’s not making it any easier. But I think I try to be a little bit more compassionate, a little bit more understanding. When I’m in the grocery store and there’s a mom struggling with two small children I tell her, ‘It gets better, it’ll get easier’ and ask if she’d like help loading her bags into the car, or something like that.” Add that to the long list of ways Kathleen is making a difference in the lives of children and families

If you would like to become a CASA volunteer advocate and help children, consider attending an upcoming virtual information session to learn more, or submit an application today. 

This summer, Lakes Region real estate agent Shawn Bailey will celebrate his 15th year volunteering with Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, of New Hampshire. The circumstances that trigger the need for CASA volunteers, child abuse and neglect, are certainly not happy ones; but when you look at Shawn’s work, you’ll discover that there’s also much to celebrate.

When a case opens, it is because a child has suffered or been endangered due to their parents’ actions or struggles. What these children have endured is often heartbreaking, and sometimes unimaginable. But the point where a CASA is assigned to them is the time when things can begin to get better. With the right support and resources families can work toward reunifying stronger than they were before. If this isn’t possible, a path to adoption or another permanency option can be laid, often with a family the child has been with for a while and who they know and trust.

During Shawn’s time as a CASA, he has served 21 children from 15 families. He has seen stories of hope play out. Stories that he helped write. Stories that are cause for celebration.

Two in particular stand out to Shawn. “I had a case with a toddler,” he says. “The parents were fairly non-compliant with what the court asked of them, until the father went to prison. At that point, mom turned things around. She completed a drug treatment program, was able to reunify with the child, and they are still doing fantastic. I get to see her out and about from time to time and she’s a sweetheart — she’s a really good person. She’s a totally different person than I knew when she was using substances. In some of the cases the parents succeed, and that’s a great thing.”

The second case began when a woman experiencing abdominal pain went to the hospital. It turned out she was in labor — she hadn’t even known she was pregnant. The mother had been using substances for about five years. “Mom went right into a program when she got out of the hospital, and is now sober. She still has a way to go,” Shawn says, “but we’re hopeful.”

For Shawn and many other CASAs, the most meaningful part of a case comes at the one-year mark with the judge’s permanency decision. “In my experience, the children are very happy that they’re either reunifying or they’re going to be adopted. Permanency is a very happy time,” Shawn says.

If the walls of the CASA office could suddenly speak, permanency might be their first word. The Juvenile Law Center describes it this way: “Simply put, ‘permanency’ means family. It means having positive, healthy, nurturing relationships with adults who provide emotional, financial, moral, educational, and other kinds of support as youth mature into adults. Ideally, permanency takes the form of a relationship that has a legal component that provides a parent-child relationship. [It’s having a] family and support system that both lifts [the child] up and cushions them if they fall.”

Ultimately, this is what Shawn and other CASA volunteers are working toward — a permanent home where their case children can thrive. It’s work that Shawn finds incredibly satisfying. “It’s rewarding to get to know the children and help them through the hard times they’re going through. It’s amazing to see how resilient they are. Boy, if someone loves them and gives them some structure and stability, they latch right onto that, because they really have been ‘set aside,’ so to speak, because their parents are in trouble. We strive for a positive outcome for the child.” With his perseverance and dedication, Shawn has helped bring about many positive outcomes for children.

Shawn has found that his role as a CASA fits in well with his work as a real estate agent. CASAs dedicate about 10–15 hours a month to their volunteer work. This includes time spent meeting with their case child, talking with parents and other important adults in the child’s life, and presenting the vital information they gather in a written court report. Four to five times a year the CASA speaks in court to help the judge assess the progress of the case. Shawn says it isn’t difficult for him to plan his work schedule around his volunteer commitments, and vice versa.

Shawn’s commitment to children extends beyond his CASA role. He and his wife Jennifer are key supporters of the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, which raises funds for local organizations that assist children (including CASA of NH). Over the years, Shawn has pitched in answering phones during the live auction, participating on a Challenge Team, and organizing toy drives. “I have a soft spot for children, pets and senior citizens, but children the most,” Shawn says. For children in hard places, that soft spot in Shawn’s heart has made a world of difference.

If you would like to become a CASA volunteer, consider attending an upcoming virtual information session to learn more, or submit an application today.