I asked members of our staff, "What is one thing you love about CASA volunteers?" These were some of their responses.
"Honestly, I am inspired every day by how much time and selfless emotional energy people volunteer for their CASA kids. I'm blown away by the caliber of thoughtfulness and dedication that my volunteers give." - Catherine Jones, Child Advocacy Specialist
"I love their passion and their hearts of gold. Any time someone gives up a significant amount of time every month for a volunteer opportunity, you know they are genuinely passionate people." - Shannon Moreno, Training Coordinator
"They are always willing to go the extra mile or sixty or a hundred to find out what kids need." - Rushmi Karim-Paris, Child Advocacy Specialist
"People come from so many different backgrounds and walks of life, but what brings them together is wanting to be there for the kids and meet their needs." - Erika Herndon, Director of Program Evaluation
"I love their zeal. My CASA volunteers always want better for their kids even when other people say they aren't being realistic. They take things that seem impossible and make them possible." - Kristy Presmyk, Child Advocacy Specialist
"I love that they are brave. I love that they are creative. They have such generous spirits." - Laura Wolf, Executive Director
"I love how willing they are and available and consistent. I love how protective they are of their kids and I love how much they love being CASA volunteers." - Janet Rodriguez, Child Advocacy Specialist
"I love their optimism, their belief that people can change and the hope they bring to challenging situations. I love their willingness to provide out of the box solutions." - Sarah Christofferson, Chief Program Officer
"Their willingness to jump in where needed. When they hit road blocks, they don't get discouraged. They don't give up. They keep looking for other avenues." - Qunisha Simmons, Child Advocacy Specialist
"I love their dedication to our mission, to protecting children. Their will, their want to help. Their responsiveness. Their willpower to stand up in court and tell the judges what the child needs. I love that they are passionate. That they are here to help our children. I love that that's what they want to do." - Bree Taylor, Volunteer Relations Specialist
"Bravery. A lot of volunteers need to put themselves in new and uncomfortable situations. We ask them to do these things. In court they have to stand up and speak alongside attorneys who do this for a living and to judges who decide a child's fate. You just have to be pretty darn brave to get in here and do this work for kids." - Michelle Nowlin, Child Advocacy Specialist
"I love their tenacity, perseverance and fearlessness when it comes to getting to the bottom of situations." - AJ Renold, Director of Family Engagement
"Their passion. Especially when they start off, there is so much excitement. As a supervisor, it is inspiring. Their passion really keeps me going." - Alejandro Victoria, Child Advocacy Specialist
"So many things! I love how honest CASA volunteers are about the new things they learn and all their perspective shifts. I love how open they are to that." - Callie Langford, Director of Communications
"I could go on and on. I'm just really humbled by all of our volunteers. They are always willing to just go and do more." - Alex Mirande, Child Advocacy Specialist
"I love how diverse they are from age to interest to background and how so many people come together for a common cause. And the time they devote, that kind of commitment is like nothing I've seen before in the volunteer world." - Liz Neff, Powerful Voice Society Manager
" I love that they get more connected to the community through our program and they are willing to. There is a lot that happens in Travis County that you wouldn't know about unless you were part of the child welfare system. I love that they are invested in the community and they want to make it stronger." - Erik Lugo, Team Leader
"Oh goodness, what don't I love about CASA volunteers?" - Hilary Handy, Child Advocacy Specialist
At CASA of Travis County, we love our volunteers, their kindness, their tenacity, their bravery, their passion, their generosity and their dedication. This Valentine's Day, we want to say thank you for everything our volunteers have done and continue to do for the kids they serve.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Want to learn more about becoming a CASA volunteer? Visit our webpage!
Advocacy February 2016
