By Sara Blake
Carrie became a CASA volunteer in 2023 but has long been familiar with both CASA and the foster/adoption system. “My aunt has been a volunteer for many years, and my husband has three adoptive sisters,” she shares. “I was familiar with how unique families can evolve, but I wanted to better understand how the system actually works.” Carrie has a long history of leading volunteer efforts, but she wanted to find a single volunteer effort she could pour her time into while still maintaining her work and home life.
Carrie grew up in San Angelo, Texas, studied music at Trinity University, and is now a mother to a five-year-old son with her husband of twelve years. She went on to receive a master’s degree in architecture from UT Austin, and now has a career in large scale corporate design, primarily for the hospitality and aviation industries.
Becoming familiar with Austin’s urban landscape has taught Carrie a lot about housing insufficiency, homelessness, and the modern dilemma of “missing middle housing”: a lack of more affordable housing options such as townhomes, duplexes, and cottage clusters.
I’m here to tell you it is possible.” Carrie encourages.
“It can be a struggle to parent well even with a healthy marriage, steady job and a roof over my head. But add in other struggles such as housing or job insecurity, or an addiction? It just gives me a lot of empathy for these families,” Carrie says.
After speaking with a friend who worked for CASA and determining that it might be a good fit, Carrie began training in the summer of 2023. As she grew to understand the struggles families in the system face, one thing that kept jumping out at her was the reality of addiction as a disease. “I realized that recovery is a long process that requires a lot of partnership and compassion,” Carrie muses.
“Both during training and on my first case, I’ve seen how hard it is for parents to meet expectations, often valid and necessary ones, for reunification. Again, if you don’t have a home, job, or are dealing with addiction, just getting to one of the many required services really is a huge feat. I think a lens of compassion is vital in this work.”
As she juggles a busy family and career on top of her advocacy, Carrie recognizes that limited time is often an obstacle for someone considering volunteering. “I would encourage you to just be honest in your application process if you have concerns about time.
“I can’t think of another volunteer opportunity that gives you the amount of engagement with real people, real situations, real life,” says Carrie. “CASA is the single most impactful volunteer experience I’ve ever had.”
CASA gives you a clear picture about the time commitment, including what is set in stone and what is flexible. After all, they want volunteers who can really be there. I set pretty strict parameters about what I was able to do – but I really wanted to do it! And I have always felt heard in terms of my availability. For me, it made sense to work with infants, so I could be a little more flexible with visits, etc. I’m here to tell you it is possible.” Carrie encourages.
“I can’t think of another volunteer opportunity that gives you the amount of engagement with real people, real situations, real life,” says Carrie. “CASA is the single most impactful volunteer experience I’ve ever had.”