Volunteers of the Month: Mike Garkovich and Cheryl Rayner
CASA of Lexington has named Woodford County CASA Volunteer Mike Garkovich and Bourbon County CASA Volunteer Cheryl Rayner its Volunteers of the Month for January.
CASA Volunteer Mike Garkovich
Garkovich has been a CASA volunteer for more than two years and has demonstrated dedication to the children he has been advocating for, said Jeanne Box, his Volunteer Manager.
Box said Garkovich has logged hundreds of miles driving to see the children he is advocating for —a set of siblings who are all in different placements. The children have presented many complex challenges, but Mike found ways to make sure the courts were providing what they needed, Box said.
“In addition to working his case, Mike is always willing to pitch in with CASA activities — working tabling events and visiting the state Capital,” Box said. “He is involved in the community and is a great local resource.”
Garkovich said he learned about CASA of Lexington from a front-page article in the Woodford Sun. When he began volunteering, he was working for the University of Kentucky, but he is now retired.
“Making a connection with the kids and gaining their trust” is the most rewarding aspect of being a CASA volunteer, he said. “It takes a while to gain their trust, but you prove you are going to be a consistent (person) in their life, I think that’s what does it.”
Rayner has been a CASA volunteer since February 2020. She has advocated for four children during that time and has been “unflappable in her advocacy” for them, said her Volunteer Manager Gudrun Allen.
“She has developed a good communication style and is such a pleasure to work with,” Allen said. “Cheryl was also a huge help at the Pumpkin Festival in Bourbon County this year, enthusiastically approaching people about becoming volunteers at our CASA booth!”
Like Garkovich, Rayner said she learned about CASA of Lexington from an article in her local paper, the Bourbon County Citizen, when it covered plantings of pinwheels for Child Abuse Prevention Month one April.
CASA Volunteer Cheryl Rayner
“For me, one of the greatest rewards of being a volunteer is knowing I play a role in helping parents end a family history of domestic violence, drug abuse, child neglect, unemployment and being uneducated,” Rayner said. “By enabling parents to better themselves, I have helped them to take pride in their choice to change their lifestyle, and to begin providing a safe, loving home for their children.”
When she isn’t serving as a CASA volunteer, Rayner makes “barn art” from barn wood and tobacco sticks and works with her mom on her farm.
Rayner said the change she helps create as a CASA volunteer doesn’t happen overnight.
“It takes time, patience and compassion,” she said. “You develop bonds with your children and their families. Sometimes they will not like you very much; other times they will be thankful for your faith in them. Always be open-minded and non-judgmental of the conditions that assigned you to a family. You will really make a significant, positive change in the lives of your families.”