CASA Volunteer of the Month: Rita Klein
CASA of Lexington Volunteer Rita Klein
Rita Klein made the decision to become a CASA volunteer after considering it for a very long time. She wanted to make sure she had the capacity in her life to give the children all that they needed.
She heard about CASA through her co-workers at Lexmark, a company where many CASA of Lexington volunteers work. She has been serving as a CASA volunteer for just over a year now, and has advocated for the needs of six children over two cases.
Like many others, Klein learned about the impact she could have as a CASA volunteer long before she was ready to serve.
“When I commit to something, I really commit,” she said. “I had wanted to be a CASA for a long time, but I needed to be in a place where I could give it my all.”
Klein’s Volunteer Manager Liz Matherly applauds Klien for her level of commitment.
“She is incredibly thorough, sifting through copious amounts of medical and school records for children who have been largely transient in their lives,” Matherly said. “She is truly an advocate who dives deep to understand the children in her case in order to best advocate for them.”
Klein said her main goal is making a real difference in the lives of abused and neglected children.
“I mentored through a church for a long time, but I never felt like I was really making an impact in their lives,” she said. “CASA gives me a real chance to make a meaningful impact, and I wanted to help break these cycles.”
CASA volunteers write reports for the judges on their children’s cases. The reports provide a high level of detail about the children’s lives, enabling the judges to make more informed decisions.
Children with CASA volunteers are more likely to succeed in school and less likely to be moved around and suffer trauma. They are also more likely to receive services they need and are often placed back into permanent homes faster. Almost 9 out 10 children who had a CASA volunteer never re-enter the foster care system — a rate twice as good as that for children who did not receive a CASA volunteer.
Klein said she encourages anyone interested to think about becoming a CASA volunteer because more volunteers are needed.
“It’s really a rewarding thing to help these children, but you need to be mindful that it will take some time,” she said. “It is a really good thing to do. You learn a lot about the systems we have in place.”