"I became a volunteer with CASA because I believe every child needs to have someone in their life who stands up for them, believes in them, and helps out no matter what. This should be the child's parents. However, after having a childhood myself that wasn't all sunshine and ponies, I know life isn't always easy. Plus I really wanted to find a way to become more involved with, and positively impact, my local community.
And CASA has done that, and so much more, for me.
Not only have I had the pleasure of seeing the child I serve, my CASA kid, begin to blossom and change before my eyes, but I have learned more about the our local schools, community resources, and the current legal system than I could have ever imagined.
By far the best part has been my CASA kid. About six months into the process with her, she asked me how many other kids I dealt with on a daily basis. I asked her what she meant, and she asked me how many kids were like her that were part of my job. After I explained to her again what CASA is, and how this wasn't a job, but a volunteer position, she looked at me and told me I was no longer company in the house. I was her family.
Coming from a child who has been abandoned and shoved off by so many people in her life, the fact that she completely accepted me and considered me her family is a moment that will probably stay for me for the rest of my life, and made everything we have gone through, and been through since, completely worth it."
- Alice R. McGinley, Hudson County CASA volunteer advocate
