Riverside County CASA of the Month – November 2024

Sarah, a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), has been a guiding light for five youth since the beginning of the pandemic. Her dedication has been particularly impactful in the life of *Zoe, an 11-year-old girl who has shown remarkable resilience. Zoe’s journey began at a tender age of 5 when she was removed from her home due to domestic abuse. Since then, Zoe has shown incredible strength, enduring 14 different placements.

CASA Sarah began building a fantastic rapport with Zoe from the start. She quickly became her educational rights holder and advocated for the services needed to thrive at school. Their quality time together, filled with trips to the dollar store and sweet treats at the yogurt shop, has provided comfort and stability for Zoe.

For CASA Sarah, living close to her assigned child has always been preferred, but unfortunately, Zoe was moved to a foster home outside of Riverside County soon after meeting each other. This was discouraging for both, but the distance did not stop CASA Sarah, who was persistent, remained on the case and found ways to continue communicating with Zoe, even from hundreds of miles away.

The move was challenging for Zoe since she could only fit a couple of boxes of her clothing and personal belongings in the vehicle. There were toys, dolls, books, art supplies, and photos that were extremely important to her that were left behind. Because of CASA Sarah’s tenacity, after months of trying to locate Zoe’s belongings, she finally spoke to a Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) Supervisor who informed her that the items were in a storage facility. Recently, CASA Sarah and the DPSS Supervisor finally met at the facility to go through the boxes that belonged to Zoe. While they had a lot of success locating some of Zoe’s personal items, they hope they will recover all of her belongings and get them back to Zoe at her new placement.

Zoe also struggled with school and her current foster home earlier this year. However, with CASA Sarah’s support and everyone involved, she received the much-needed help and is doing much better at home and academically. CASA Sarah has also been facilitating communication between Zoe and her adult sister, with the goal of Zoe living with her when the time is right. For now, they continue to stay in each other’s lives and look forward to seeing each other before the end of the year.

The work of a CASA volunteer can sometimes be challenging, but the lasting impacts of every action, no matter how big or small, make all the difference in the world. CASA Sarah’s dedication is a testament to the significant role that CASA volunteers play in the lives of children in foster care.

 Name: Sarah H.
County: Riverside
Occupation: Real Estate Investor
Became a CASA in: 2020
Favorite part of being a CASA: “Getting to know amazing kids in the foster system and being able to help significantly improve their lives.”

 You, too, can make a difference in the lives of children in foster care like Zoe. Learn more about becoming a CASA volunteer. *Names and details have been changed to protect confidentiality