Retirees Provide a Vital Voice for NH’s Abused and Neglected Children
After Seacoast New Hampshire resident Dean Plager retired, he enjoyed spending more time sailing, but he also felt a need to give back to society. He read an article about a local woman who was advocating for abused and neglected children as a volunteer with CASA of NH. “It hit home for me because I had been looking for something to do that really makes a difference. This was it,” Dean says.
Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Hampshire – or CASA of NH – recruits, trains and supervises volunteers to serve as advocates for abused and neglected children in the New Hampshire court system. Volunteers spend time getting to know a victimized child and the important adults in that child’s life so they may make qualified, unbiased recommendations to a judge deciding a child’s future. Since CASA of NH was founded in 1989, its volunteers have helped more than 10,000 children grow up in safe, permanent homes.
More than 55 percent of CASA of NH’s 600 volunteers last year were over 60 and almost 50 percent were retired or working part-time. According to Marcia Sink, founder and President/CEO of CASA, women and men of retirement age play a key role in the organization’s goal to provide a CASA volunteer advocate to every abused or neglected child who needs one.
“We are expecting a surge in cases of abuse and neglect after the COVID pandemic passes and we need more volunteers now. Retired folks or people with flexible schedules are in a position to step up quickly, plus we find that our older volunteers have tremendous abilities that they still want to use during retirement. It is a good combination,” she says.
CASA volunteer advocate Darcy Horgan calls her work for CASA a “win/win,” commenting that “it engages my work ethic but has real meaning. At this stage of life, what a bonus it is to do valuable work that is fulfilling!”
Monadnock-area resident Patience Stoddard was a little bored in her second year of retirement. She attended a 40-hour training session to become a CASA volunteer advocate and found the training “exceptional.” She also discovered kindred spirits in her fellow classmates. “It makes you realize that there are a lot of good people out there. It keeps your faith in humanity,” she says.
As with other aspects of life, the COVID pandemic has altered CASA volunteer work. Training has moved online and advocates meet with children in safely distanced visits or, if the child is old enough, through virtual means. Some courts convene through telephone and web conferences while others offer socially distanced in-person meetings.
Steve and Betsy Coes were deep into training to become CASA volunteer advocates when the COVID pandemic hit. They completed their training online and received their first cases in Spring 2020. Steve says that he has been able to check on his one-year-old CASA child and do the work despite COVID. “Every time a new wrinkle arises, it is an education. Most of all, my CASA work is an education about what the world is like out there. You see how people get in situations and you start to understand motivations,” he says.
Want to learn more? Read our FAQs about volunteering or join us for a live, virtual information session:
The 2020 John McDermott Champion of Children Award is being given posthumously to Sylvia Gale, a long-time supporter of CASA, a former DCYF Supervisor and longtime New Hampshire legislator who passed away in July following a battle with cancer. The award is being accepted on her behalf by her daughter Liz Gale.
Several years ago, I checked in with an advocate who attended her first solo court hearing earlier in the day to inquire how it went. She told me Judge Sadler had given her “wings.” Emboldened by Judge Sadler’s welcoming demeanor and attentive listening, the advocate was able to speak to the best interest of her CASA child confidently and with a freedom she did not quite expect in the courtroom. She went on to say that because Judge Sadler granted her the space and time to articulately represent the child’s circumstances, she was given a great gift of respect and value that has stayed with her. She said her “wings” now empower her to speak with purpose and continued confidence. I too had experienced this very effect as a program manager standing in for another advocate. Judge Sadler was the first judge to make me truly believe that my (CASA’s) voice was heard and mattered. I recall that as I stood to address the court, Judge Sadler stopped what she was doing and looked me straight in the eye indicating she was ready to hear from CASA and was fully focused. Judge Sadler is the kind of judge who elicits admiration easily. She listens. Everyone in her courtroom has an opportunity to be fully heard, including the children. Judge Sadler is fair. She gives credit where credit is due and is also not shy in telling it like it is. I have come to appreciate what an exceptional judge she is through the respect she exhibits to all, but in particular to the volunteer citizens who function as CASA/GALs in her court room. We will miss her tremendously upon her retirement.
Kathy has been with us for a total of 20 years with some time off intermittently due to work constraints. Kathy was a nurse for many years in Boston she brings to CASA her resourcefulness and understanding of medically fragile children among many other attributes. Kathy is determined to advocate strongly for the children she represents and with that goal brings energy and determination to all the meetings on the behalf of her CASA children. Kathy has a nice way of working with families and demonstrates that she has the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person.
Susan MacKenzie 
Maureen has been a dedicated CASA for 20 years! She has advocated for 24 children during this time. After taking a very brief leave of absence, she came back to take on a difficult case that we would have had to turn back had she not stepped forward. This case has had a few contentious hearings even before adjudication and Maureen has strongly advocated in Court each time for her CASA child’s best interests.