Volunteer Jolene managed it all: a 60–70-hour work week, a Ph.D. program, musical activities, and sports as her main hobbies, and her CASA case had a group of siblings.
“Although it may seem like an overwhelming schedule, if you ask Jolene, she will just say, ‘I'm a little busy, but CASA is important,’" says Andre, her former CASA supervisor.
Initially, Jolene entered a CASA info session to donate her professional services to the agency. However, after hearing the session and profoundly understanding what CASA meant for an overburdened child welfare system, she fell in love with the mission and applied to volunteer.
When it came to "Why CASA," Jolene started to think about the impact she was making on the world when she hit the milestone of working 18 years in the corporate world. When reflecting, she felt she wasn't doing enough. A friend recommended that she look into a volunteer opportunity, so she started researching, asking colleagues, and getting information from all around her community.
Initially, Jolene entered a CASA info session to donate her professional services to the agency. However, after hearing the session and profoundly understanding what CASA meant for an overburdened child welfare system, she fell in love with the mission and applied to volunteer.
Several months later, Jolene has continued to be there for her CASA youths, no matter what's going on in her schedule, because she knows the impact one person can make. "I had an art teacher in high school who was there for me when I had no one," says Jolene.
This impact has stayed with her and comes through in the powerful advocacy she provides for the youths she serves.
When one youth needed a driver's license, Jolene drove them to Killeen to get it. An unexpected conflict ended up occurring when the youth needed some necessary paperwork to obtain the permit, so without a second thought, Jolene returned to get the paperwork and drove back to Killeen to complete the process.
When the siblings needed equitable educational services, it took Jolene just one day to drive to all the schools. She did it promptly and thoroughly so that every youth in her case received the needed services. Even when she needed to conduct three visits a month, Jolene did so happily, knowing that the average CASA volunteer does one visit a month. As described by her former CASA supervisor, she has gone the extra mile in every situation.
When asked what she would say to someone thinking about becoming a volunteer, Jolene says, "Do it - all we can do is try."
Whenever any of the youths she served needed anything, Jolene was always there to advocate for them. "She's a person that really means it when she commits to something. If Jolene says she'll show up, she will be there for sure," says Andre. CASA has seen through the years that the strongest bonds are created with children when there is coherence between what is said and what is done.
To Jolene, being a CASA volunteer isn't about checking a box; it's about ensuring the youths she serves, and their families feel supported. When asked what she would say to someone thinking about becoming a volunteer, Jolene says, "Do it - all we can do is try."
Learn more about how you can impact a child's life as a CASA volunteer today at www.casatravis.org/volunteer.
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