December CASA Volunteers of the Month Have Advocated for a Combined 19 Abused or Neglected Kids
Susan Stewart, left, and Connie Handman are CASA of Lexington’s Volunteers of the Month for December 2020.
CASA of Lexington is honoring a pair of volunteers in December who between them have advocated for 19 abused and neglected children.
Connie Handman and Susan Stewart are the nonprofit’s December Volunteers of the Month. Both have taken on multiple cases involving multiple children during their times as CASA volunteers.
“Connie has had three cases since she started with CASA a little over a year ago, and she currently manages two simultaneously,” said Beka Schwartz, Handman’s Volunteer Manager. “She gives her whole heart to her CASA kids and trying to improve their situations.”
Stewart’s Volunteer Manager Liz Noffsinger said her reports to judges have been characterized as “perfection.”
“Susan has a natural curiosity that is extremely beneficial to her advocacy,” Noffsinger said. “She knows how to uncover pertinent details regarding the children so that she can ensure that the children’s needs are being met.”
CASA of Lexington asked Handman and Stewart some questions about their time as CASA volunteers. Here are their responses:
Q: How did you get involved with CASA of Lexington?
Handman: Kelly Hale from Immanuel Baptist Church (another CASA of Lexington volunteer). I went to her for help finding a good fit for using my time to help kids grow up in a loving environment.
Stewart: I heard (CASA of Lexington Executive Director) Melynda (Jamison) being interviewed on WEKU in early 2017. Most of my volunteering has been political or with the LGBTQ community, so this kind of work with kids had never occurred to me. I don't know why, but I couldn't stop thinking about Melynda's description of CASA's work and the desperate need of children in our community. When I can't shake a thought like this, I know it's the universe's way of telling me I need to act. So, I reached out in the spring of 2017 and started training that May.
Q: What have you found rewarding about being a CASA volunteer?
Stewart: When I can see a direct, clear, positive change in a child's life because of something I have done, it's very motivating. The work we do is usually less firework-y than that, more subtle. Most days as a CASA wouldn't make very good made-for-TV-movie fodder, much less blockbuster material.
It's work, it's building relationships, it's asking a lot of questions and making a lot of contacts. But sometimes, SOMETIMES I can see a difference that I made -- like tracking down a family member no one knew was there or intervening in the nick of time before a child is harmed. Those are the blockbuster moments!
Handman: Watching children begin to feel safe and cared for, as hopefully, their parents take advantage of the many services offered to them through Kentucky’s great family resources. It’s a “Win-Win” situation!
Q: What would you say to someone who is thinking about becoming a volunteer?
Handman: If a volunteer is wanting to see abused or neglected children start to thrive due to his/her support and encouragement and make a difference in their lives, then I would say, “What are you waitng for?” CASA has great managers who will give you all the help you need to be successful. So please come join our team!
Stewart: I remember being intimidated at first -- intimidation can stop of a lot of people from taking the plunge. I'm not a social worker or lawyer. I have no special experience that makes me good at working with kids. What if I mess up? I was very anxious about starting.
Then, as part of my training, I spent part of a day in court, watching case after case after case. The numbers of these struggling families and children in that one morning were horrifying to me. It was unbelievable that these cases were a proverbial thimble-full of the suffering out there -- the suffering that I'd committed to help change.
Maybe it's counter-intuitive, but I immediately felt better. I realized that it's impossible to make these situations worse; it is ONLY possible that your intervention, however meager you think it is, will help. So, let's just get in there, pick up some work, and help.
Q: Susan, you’ve advocated for nine different children over all the cases you’ve had; and Connie, you’ve advocated for 10 different children. What does it feel like to know you’ve helped so many children by serving as a CASA volunteer?
Stewart: I stay completely focused on the case I'm working at the moment. As a CASA volunteer, I'm really only as valuable as my current contribution, so that's where I fixate mentally. That said, I'm immensely humbled to have gotten to know these children, humbled that they've let me into their lives and shared their fears and goals and stories with me. I feel like the work I do leaves its own, very small imprint on our community, through the lives of these kids and their families.
Handman: A warm, fuzzy, satisfying knowledge that I had some small part in helping these 10 children experience life that supplies them with the basic needs, safety and nurturing from people who love them.