Creating Hope, One Child at a Time

 I am a 14-year-old-boy who loves to have fun. Unfortunately the events in my life have not all been fun and games. I have been in the system since I was six weeks old. My CASA has helped me the last several years, since I was eight. She helps me get through hard times in my life. I honestly love her to death. I call her my “White Mama” because I am black, but she treats me if I was her own son. She is sweet, kind, and she does her best. Sometimes I wonder why she keeps getting me the things I need when I am a real jerk. Trust me on this one, I can be a jerk. One day I figured out it was because she truly cares for the children that she helps. She gives me the emotional and mental support I need. I have gone through five failed adoptions. I didn’t give myself any credit for trying to make the adoptions work. After the last one I cried for two days straight. She told me that it wasn’t my fault. She made me realize that even though I tried, I can’t make people do anything. She helped me get the hope I needed. After time, I know am advocating for other children to get adopted. Children need families. Unfortunately, children cannot just dream up the perfect family and have that family ensure their safety. Having a CASA has helped me to improve my life. She is truly an inspiration. She has greatly influenced my life. Hopefully I can inspire others to believe in their selves in the way that my CASA believed in me. 

Shamor: foster care youth

 I am the oldest of seven children. We almost took care of ourselves. I was only fourteen, and I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. Everybody told us it would be a couple of weeks in foster care but it turned into months, then years. Suddenly a new person walked into the life of me and my sister. With the constant changing of social workers and counselors, I didn’t know what to expect. She asked us what our interests were, and we set up a time to meet every week. For the first time in awhile I felt that this just might be a good thing. As the weeks went by, we got to know each other better. I realized I could talk to her about problems, not only personal problems, but problems about the house we lived in. She was our voice, our stability, and our friend. It turned into a lifelong relationship. She may not have even realized her impact on my life because she was simply just being a friend. Someone you can talk to, someone you can trust. I have found that it’s the simple things that make someone complete as a person. 

Sonia: foster care youth

 I am the oldest of three girls and was often responsible for my sisters-sometimes taking care of them and missing school. Then Kim came along and I was thinking, how can she help me and take time for me when she could be doing things for herself? Before I met Kim, I was failing all my classes and was not expected to graduate on time. Kim immediately started to help me with my education. She would come and see me once a week. She would organize appointments with everyone in my life : my therapist, social worker, foster mom, and case manager. She made sure everyone was doing what was necessary to help me succeed. My CASA said that I was working so hard that I deserved to have fun and participate in the senior activities. She convinced me to go to the prom. Kim and I searched for a dress. It was so special for me that she was by my side. I picked a magenta dress that had diamonds around the top and a fluffy bottom. I still have memories about that prom thanks to her. If I had not gone to the prom, I know I would have regretted it. 

Karla: foster care youth

 I was two and a half when I came into the system as a result of my mother’s substance abuse. I lived in some homes for a few days, others a few weeks or months. Most homes were kind and tried to care for me, but one was horrendous. They had as many as 16 foster kids, including a lot of babies, in a trailer with only three bedrooms. I was there when I was seven and eight and had to diaper and care for the babies. The worst were the cruel punishments. My younger brother, who had ADHD had other abusive stories from the home. Eventually, the family was investigated. They denied everything so I was branded a troublemaker and sent to a shelter home, leaving my brother behind. Then I got a CASA. I was in the system five years before I was given a CASA. The system had already taken a toll on me. I was eight when I was assigned a CASA. “I didn’t trust her. She was just another adult in my life making promises that I didn’t quite believe.” I’d like to think that my story has three parts. First is the time I felt like I was lost in the foster care system. Second is when my CASA came into my life. And third is when she helped find a family for me. A few months after being taken from that abusive environment, my brother and I were reunited in a better foster home. It took two years, and a lot a hard work from my CASA but finally the abusive home had their license was revoked. Although they were able to adopt seven of the foster kids, three years later the parents had been arrested for more than 30 counts of felony child abuse with torture. Nobody believed me then, but they do now. I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through what I did, even when I felt all alone and lost I imagined the life that I’m living I never realized what it would take to make it a reality, but I’m certainly glad my CASA did. I know I never thanked her enough, but, without her I don’t know where I would be today. 

Ashley: foster care youth