By Emily Witt
“I’ve been devoted to serving the best interests of youth for a lifetime,” states Chuck Teague after we’ve chatted over the phone for about 20 minutes.
It doesn’t take nearly that long talking to him to see that this is unequivocally true—the story of his career, volunteerism, and lifelong love of learning clearly paint the picture of a man who is committed to bettering the world around him.
"I’ve been devoted to serving the best interests of youth for a lifetime."
Chuck is a fifth-generation Texan, but his parents moved to Pennsylvania amid the Great Depression. He spent most of his life there before he and his wife relocated to Austin a couple of years ago to be closer to their son and grandchildren. That’s when he discovered CASA on the radio, but the road to joining our volunteer community began long before hearing about CASA’s mission over the airwaves.
“Initially, my career began as a lawyer,” says Chuck. “Then I was a military officer and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force where I had tours in Japan, the Philippines, and Germany. My third career was as a pastor, and I did that and vocational history for nearly 25 years.”
“Then, for 16 years I was a Park Ranger—I had the great honor of serving at Gettysburg National Park where I told visitors all about the history of the site. And finally, I’ve been a chaplain in several ways: for the military, police, and I even acted as a disaster relief chaplain.”
While Chuck’s storied career serving others prepared him for the calling of becoming a CASA volunteer, it was another volunteer opportunity in Pennsylvania that began sowing the seed of passion for the work that we do.
While Chuck’s storied career serving others prepared him for the calling of becoming a CASA volunteer, it was another volunteer opportunity in Pennsylvania that began sowing the seed of passion for the work that we do.
“After I retired from the ministry, I got involved with Family Group Decision Making. It’s a program that comes from New Zealand and is originally an Indigenous practice. They saw in New Zealand that of the two systems being used for child welfare, one imposed by the British and the other created by the Indigenous People, that the tribes were much better equipped to handle these problems by letting families decide what resources are needed.”
“When families are in trouble, the best solutions come from the extended family. So, cases would be referred, and a coordinator would set up a meeting for the family group. I volunteered as a facilitator and would lead the conversation as a neutral party—examining the circumstances of the crisis, alternative plans, programs, support, and would have the family come up with a plan that the caseworker would then approve. I saw so much progress with this model—almost miracles. I came to Texas and saw we didn’t have that, but I heard about CASA and decided to take the training.”
While we don’t use the formal model of Family Group Decision Making in Texas, CASA does our best to keep the children we serve connected to their families, when safe and appropriate, through our Early Family Engagement and Family Finding programs. The work we do to make sure families and children are cared for has certainly not gone unnoticed by Chuck during his time as a volunteer.
"On my own case, I just feel so hopeful for this child’s future. Throughout my life, I’ve seen so many tragic instances where something happens during childhood, and a person carries that trauma always. At CASA, we help children see hope—that they are not trapped. It’s amazing."
“There are tremendous assets available for families that need support through CASA and the other organizations we work with. On my own case, I just feel so hopeful for this child’s future. Throughout my life, I’ve seen so many tragic instances where something happens during childhood, and a person carries that trauma always. At CASA, we help children see hope—that they are not trapped. It’s amazing.”
When Chuck isn’t giving his time to CASA as a volunteer, he loves hiking with his two dogs (who were happy to bark “hello” during our call), gardening, listening to music, and traveling.
He’s journeyed across the globe, but among his favorites are Northern Thailand, French Guiana, Rome, Egypt, Greece, Scotland, and Switzerland, where his sister lives. “I’ll be very glad when we can travel again,” he tells me.
“I would speak about the hurt that people carry around with them and how to overcome it.”
But with all the knowledge that he’s gained from a lifetime of traveling, learning, and multiple prestigious careers, when asked what he’d give a keynote speech on, his answer comes back to the tenants of service that drew him to CASA: “I would speak about the hurt that people carry around with them and how to overcome it.”
Interested in becoming a volunteer advocate? You can get started with our online Info Sessions and online Volunteer Training right now! Learn more on our Volunteer page or RSVP for an upcoming Volunteer Info Session over Zoom!
2020 Featured Volunteer Story Volunteer Profiles October
