Meet Tara A, a 5-year CASA Volunteer

Austin Native – Born in Brackenridge Hospital, Tara has spent her entire life near the Capital City.

Family – Tara has been married for 18 years to her high school sweetheart. They have 2 children – a 17-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son.

Free time – Tara loves spending time with her husband and family. She serves as a Sunday school teacher and does many children’s extracurricular activities at her church.

Working with CASA – Tara has been an advocate for 5 years and has worked with 6 children.

Why she volunteers – “It is my nature to be an advocate. It is my nature to speak up. And I have to really channel that energy into positive outlets because you can use it as a negative and just use it as a loud mouth. But I really wanted to channel that into an area where I could be helpful. And so, I know that I’m a very confident person and I know that when I was young, I didn’t feel like I had anybody to stand up for me. And so I said, 'You know what? I’m going to use that energy and do that for my CASA kids'."

Her most memorable CASA moment - “I was advocating for a 4-year-old girl who was being moved from foster home to foster home. It’s my personal thing to meet my CASA kids at their new home anytime they’re moved. And I just remember her, when she saw me knock on the door, she wasn’t expecting me to be there. She ran out and said, ‘You found me, I can’t believe it!' That touched my heart so much because she thought she was just floating out there and nobody knew where she was. It gives me a lot of joy to know that my CASA kids know they can depend on me. They know Miss Tara is going to find them, she’s going to keep up with you, and it’s going to be alright.”

Her thoughts on CASA's training process - "The training was very intense and fun. It opened my eyes. I knew of the need, but I didn’t know of all the issues that went along with the need - the suffering that the kids go through. So I knew there was a need to help, but it really helped me understand what these kids are going through, what it’s like, and why they need an advocate."

CASA in her words - "A CASA is an encourager. Because in that situation, I really do see myself as an advocate and encourager. I drop seeds of encouragement every time, and not just with my kids. To the foster families to hang in there, to the families that want to reunify or adopt, hang in there, we’re going to make it. And everybody needs encouragement, especially when you don’t know what tomorrow is going to be like."

Cadillac honors Tara's Texas Spirit on KVUE