By Sara Blake
When CASA Volunteer Jackie retired from a 30-year career in tech and supply chain management, she wasn’t looking to slow down. An avid outdoorswoman, Jackie has since learned how to conserve native plants by becoming a Texas Master Naturalist. She volunteers for Foundation Communities with tax preparation and builds wheelchair ramps with Texas Ramp Project. And she applied to become a CASA volunteer. 
“To be honest, I was looking for brain stimulation, but what I really found was heart stimulation!” Jackie laughs.
“To be honest, I was looking for brain stimulation, but what I really found was heart stimulation!”
Jackie still remembers how much her perspective changed during her volunteer training in 2016. “CASA opened my eyes,” Jackie admits. “There’s a whole world I didn’t know about. Things we take for granted, like stable housing or consistent education, just aren’t a guarantee for so many families.”
Now nine years into her volunteer journey, Jackie still hasn’t slowed down. In fact, she has become known for her sweeping advocacy. She’s made a difference for children of all ages, from advocating for educational testing for a child who had already changed schools multiple times, to helping a young adult aging out of care secure affordable housing. She’s incorporated visual charts into court reports and even brought a toy filled with affirmations to a child visit. CASA staff and judges alike have praised her dedication and creativity.
A life-long Austinite, Jackie and her husband of 39 years raised two daughters, now adults. With her background in engineering from Texas A&M, Jackie brought strong organizational and writing skills to her CASA work – and says she’s gained just as much in return. “This role has helped me grow in empathy, in compassion, and in more deeply understanding other people’s experiences.”
"A child is depending on you. And the skills you bring, and gain, are so valuable. You can’t help but get more than you give.”
Jackie is passionate about continuing to educate herself through CASA’s supplemental trainings. She’s taken classes in TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) and Surrogate Parenting for Special Education Decision-making (advocating for students in the special education system who don’t have a parent representative). “Recently, I took an extremely helpful training called "Verbal De-Escalation Techniques and Your Role as CASA,” Jackie shares.
Jackie has many special moments that have stayed with her since becoming a CASA volunteer. “Once, I was delivering a Pop-Up Birthday box and as I handed the birthday child their surprise, another child nearby quietly said, ‘I wish I had a CASA.’
That just hit me,” Jackie says. “Being there for a child, no matter how big or small the moment, that’s everything.”
“Yes, it’s a time commitment,” she acknowledges. “But it is worth it. A child is depending on you. And the skills you bring, and gain, are so valuable. You can’t help but get more than you give.”
