MALIK’S STORY
“I never stopped praying this day would come.” You know what it’s like – to wait, in times of uncertainty.
Malik entered foster care in 2013, moving from home to home without stability since he was six years old. When Brenda met Malik as a CASA volunteer, she made a promise to be the constant presence in Malik’s life that he deserved. She’s been by his side for half a decade.
“One day Malik was changing foster homes, and I went to visit. I saw this little boy with a trash bag with his clothes in it, and I said, I’m not ever going to leave this little boy. I’m going to be with him for the rest of his life. He didn’t need another foster home. He needed me.” —Brenda, CASA volunteer
“Whenever I’m having trouble or having bad days, I always have someone I can talk to. She’s my GG now.” —Malik, age 15
Like Brenda, you care about kids like Malik. You are committed to ensuring all kids have access to a loving, permanent home. Brenda’s commitment to Malik meant that she continued to advocate for him even when she had to relocate out of state during the pandemic. She never gave up hope that Malik would find a place to call home.
Brenda couldn’t have made a long-term commitment to be part of Malik’s life without your help. Your compassion is helping Malik rewrite his future. Because you care, you offer Malik and many other kids in foster care hope.
You are a part of their journey to find a new normal. A safe space to land and to grow.
Because of your generosity, Malik met Roderick, a school bus driver and single dad who adopted Malik last month.
And because of your support, Malik celebrated the big day with his new “GG” Brenda who flew in to be with Malik in person for the adoption hearing.
You have already made a lasting impact on Malik’s future, and there are more children in care who need you.
We want to say thank you—for every kid’s life you have already impacted with your advocacy, and every child’s life you continue to transform thanks to your compassionate care.
You choose to champion kids like Malik. We can’t do it without you. Because of you, Malik has a CASA volunteer and a new adoptive family.
Without you, where would Malik be? We are so glad you are here.You are building a brighter future for children who are at risk.
You give with your heart. And you inspire us to continue to fight for the future of all children who find themselves in the foster care system, whether it’s for a few months or several years. Your kindness is needed today, urgently. Right now, another at-risk child is being removed from their home, and they need you to help them find a safer future where they can fulfill their potential in a loving, stable environment.
I am grateful to see how much Malik blossomed in his forever home, and I am inspired by your commitment to see more children have the same opportunity Malik did. I am thankful to see your generosity living in the smiles of every child we serve. THANK YOU for allowing us to partner with you in creating this legacy for the future of our children.
MARY JOY’S STORY
“Standing in the middle of chaos” That’s how Mary Joy described her experience in foster care.
You have more in common with foster children than you may realize.
Like you, Mary Joy didn’t have a choice – she had to be brave in the middle of chaos. After her mother died when Mary Joy was 8 years old, her father’s alcohol use spiraled and reached a boiling point. Mary Joy was removed from her father and placed in foster care - the summer before her sophomore year of high school.
Her whole world was shaken.
At first, Mary Joy was relieved to be in a safe home and live with her older brother David and his wife Elizabeth. However, Mary Joy thought the move would be temporary – she thought she’d return home before the summer was over, in time to play on her JV volleyball team. At the time, no one knew there was no “normal” for Mary Joy to go back to, that she’d never return to her childhood home.
Mary Joy looked to David and Elizabeth, the only people she knew who were still in her life, for answers. They were as unsure as she was. Soon, Mary Joy was surrounded by countless strangers – new caseworkers, new teachers, new classmates – no one who knew her could tell her everything would be okay. None of the adults could tell Mary Joy when the uncertainty and chaos would be over.
“It felt like purgatory.” Her short life had been saturated with uncertainty and instability. She wanted to make friends at her new school, but should she even bother if she would return home soon? Mary Joy was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
You know what Mary Joy felt like - unsure of what her life would look like, if another change would come. Mary Joy needed someone to be by her side – someone she could depend on, to listen to her, and help her learn how to be brave when she was scared.
BECAUSE OF YOU...
...Mary Joy found stability and trust while standing in the middle of chaos. The kindness of donors like you gave Mary Joy a CASA volunteer named Nicole within two weeks of being removed from her dad’s house.
CASA Nicole got to know Mary Joy over the summer before Mary Joy started at her new high school. Mary Joy shared with CASA Nicole what she went through, and CASA Nicole listened with compassion. CASA Nicole sat with Mary Joy as she shared her fears about her new school, her nervousness about not making friends or the volleyball team, and her confusion about what was going on with her court case or if she’d ever return home.
Because of you, Mary Joy didn’t have to walk through uncertainty or chaos alone. You gave her an advocate.
Even as she adjusted to her new school, your kindness meant Mary Joy had someone to listen to her. Mary Joy could be open and honest with CASA Nicole about her fears, her grief, and her life goals. Processing and practicing how to navigate her emotions with her CASA gave Mary Joy the skills to bravely face new fears and uncertainties waiting for her.
CASA Nicole stayed with Mary Joy until Mary Joy left foster care two years later. Mary Joy was able to stay with her brother David and his wife Elizabeth as she graduated high school with college credits in tow. Because of CASA Nicole’s advocacy, Mary Joy was able to receive a laptop, books for dual credit, SAT prep, and played on a club volleyball team – all the important things that helped Mary Joy feel like she was getting a normal high school experience even though she was in foster care. CASA Nicole was Mary Joy’s advocate in and out of the courtroom and her cheerleader on and off the court.
Because of supporters like you, Mary Joy received the support and advocacy she needed to reach her potential. She will become the first person in her family to graduate from college and is currently a student nurse on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because of your support, Mary Joy learned how to be brave navigating life’s uncertainties. Her experience with her mother’s death from cancer at such a young age led her to nursing school, and the skills and confidence she learned navigating the uncertainty and instability of foster care taught her how to be brave in a crisis, equipping her with the calm confidence she needs to care for all of us during the COVID-19 pandemic. While she wanted predictability when she was in foster care, today she enjoys new, challenging experiences.
As we wrap up 2021, we are thankful for donors like you who have stood by us during such a difficult and trying time. We know, just as you were there for Mary Joy, you’ll be there for another child who entered foster care – a child who doesn’t know what their future may bring but knows that there will be a safe and caring adult like you to help them be brave through uncertainty.
Thank you for being that constant support for our community’s abused and neglected children.
JUSTINE’S STORY
“It broke my heart to be separated from my kids.”
What you and I experienced in 2020 is so similar to the heartbreak families involved in the foster care system go through. Families like Justine’s. Justine had done everything she could to shelter her young children from her husband’s violent anger. One day, the violence spilled out onto two-year-old Camden. Child Protective Services removed the children and placed them in foster care. Justine was alone and didn’t know what to do.
But your kindness found a way. Supporters just like you gave Justine’s family a CASA volunteer and made sure she wasn’t alone anymore.
CASA volunteer Vickey was assigned to the case and persisted in breaking down the isolation that kept Justine and her family at arms’ length from social support and safety. Through perseverance, CASA Vickey was able to visit Justine before CPS was.
Your generosity can bring relief to so many hurting families!
With CASA Vickey’s help, Justine found safe housing, completed counseling, got a new job, a new car and was reunited with her children. None of this was easy, but you made sure Justine and her family didn’t have to face their grief or separation alone.
Where would Justine be without the generosity of volunteers and supporters?
The stress of COVID-19 is crashing down on vulnerable families like Justine’s, driving them further into isolation, dangerous abuse, and grief. Will you give children like baby Isabella and big brother Camden a CASA? Will you help make sure they and their families don’t have to face foster care alone?
JACK AND NOLAN’s story
Severe physical abuse. Brothers searching for a safe home.
“Based on all their bruises, I’m worried about these kids,” an anonymous reporter told Child Protective Services in 2016. When CPS investigated the home of Jack and Nolan, they found malnourished children too small for their age.
When asked how they got their scars, the boys tried to say they fell - off their bikes, out of bed, while running - but they eventually ran out of explanations. The physical abuse was so severe it wasn’t safe for either boy to remain in their home.
They needed help to recover from the memories that haunted them daily. Jack and Nolan were bound to constant nightmares and burdened with anxiety and psychological scars. Having been brought up in a home environment riddled with evil, they never understood what a healthy relationship looks like. They fought tirelessly to stay connected as brothers. With so many needs in an overburdened child welfare system, they needed a CASA.
Husband and wife team, CASA volunteers Jim and Patricia, made it their mission to keep these siblings connected in their journey towards a stable life. Trained by CASA in trauma and its effects, they knew their brotherly bond was essential to their growth and recovery. CASAs Jim and Patricia worked with CPS to find the right families who could take the children and continue their path towards healing. “One of the kid’s biggest fear is that they’d keep getting moved again and again” said Jim. They knew if the boys couldn’t be adopted together, they would need to maintain relationships that are essential to the children’s growth.
Although they were adopted separately, Jack and Nolan were able to play a part in choosing their forever home. Their families frequently gathered to celebrate birthdays, share dinners, and get togethers – connecting two families forever. “Jack was shy…once you got to know him, he opened up and was so friendly. He opened up even more once he was in his adoptive home,” said CASA Jim. When it came time for the adoptions on National Adoption Day, the CASAs not only became their voice, but part of their family.
“The beauty of this story is the kids went to the right place. The boys went to two fantastic families who are connected to each other and are willing to keep that connection,” Jaime Hernandez, CASA Supervisor.
P.S. When asked how life is, Jack’s adoptive mom relishes in the fact her family chose to adopt Jack and Jack chose them. Jack did not make the choice to be abused or neglected, or to be removed from his family. He did, however, get to choose his adoptive family. Whenever Jack acts like a typical 14-year-old teenage boy, his mother reminds him: “Well, you chose us!” and Jack can’t help but smile.
Blake’s first confirmed case of abuse was the day he was born when his little body tested positive for drugs. Tragically, he continued to be abused and neglected and was eventually placed in foster care at age 15. For 11 years, this child endured the darkest pain, and as a teen, he was isolated and alone. With no clear sources of family support other than his teenage sister Erin, he was expected to age out of foster care unless someone intervened and spoke for him. That’s when he met his CASA volunteer, Steve.
Steve began working tirelessly to find a way out of foster care for Blake. Steve refused to let another teenager get lost in the system. Blake said he knew Erin, now 21, was his last hope for getting out of foster care. “She was my angel.” For Erin, her “worst fear was that he would get stuck in foster care.” Once she turned 21, she wanted to become Blake’s permanent home, but she didn’t know how to become an approved placement. Steve helped Erin navigate the CPS system to bring Blake home, and his advocacy finally gave Blake hope for a brighter future. Thanks to the commitment of his CASA volunteer, Blake was able to move in with Erin the day after school was out this summer. Your support gives children like Blake the critical voice they need in foster care!
