Veteran and rookie CASA volunteers team up, become friends working a case together

CASA volunteers Jackie Washburn, left, and Susan Isaacs are December’s Volunteers of the Month.

When a new case of child neglect involving six siblings came across Rebecca Brereton-Farr’s desk last year, she knew she would need some special CASA volunteers for the job.

Brereton-Farr, a Volunteer Manager at CASA of Lexington, paired up Jackie Washburn, a veteran CASA volunteer with 15 years of experience, and Susan Isaacs, a new CASA volunteer who was waiting for her first case. Together, they would begin advocating for the children’s best interests.

The results have been amazing.

Jackie and Susan discovered their strengths complemented each other nicely — Jackie brought her experience; Susan brought strong computer skills. Both shared a love of children and a desire to improve their world.

“I feel like I have a new friend,” said Susan, a retired educator and consultant. “I know about her children and her grandchildren. We talk about a lot more than just the case.”

The pair have now spent more than a year as CASA volunteers on the case. They visit the children monthly, talk to adults in the children’s lives, review educational and medical records, and write reports for the judge on the case, leading to better outcomes.

Children who receive CASA volunteers like Jackie and Susan have usually suffered trauma and have little or no stability in their lives. CASA volunteers provide hope that things will get better, advocate for more stability, identify needs that others in court have overlooked, and help return children to safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.

“I want to make sure that all the kids are where they need to be, that they are in a good home,” Jackie said. “And if parents can be that home, and we can help them with that, I like to see reunification as much as possible.”

Because of the excellent work Jackie and Susan have done on their case, they have been named CASA Volunteers of the Month for December 2023.

“Susan and Jackie have been the dynamic duo this case and these kids needed,” said Brereton-Farr. “Susan can navigate the school system and ensure the older children’s educational needs are being met. Jackie can navigate the court system. Both provide a sense of comfort to mom as she works to regain custody and make her own personal progress.”

Brereton-Farr said Susan and Jackie have become a trusted source of information for the judge on the case and helped guide all sides in their case to productive solutions that ultimately help the children.

“I truly believe that without Susan and Jackie on this case, we would not have seen progress and these kids would have just lingered,” Brereton-Farr said.

It takes about 5-10 hours a month to serve as a CASA volunteer. While CASA volunteers always have support from their Volunteer Managers, CASA volunteers who serve on a CASA team also have their partner to bounce ideas off of and share in the highs and lows.

“We talk back and forth to make sure we are on the same page,” Jackie said. “It works very well having two people on this case.”

Susan agreed.

“I had never been to court before; Jackie talked me all through that. I had never done a court report before; Jackie talked me through that,” Susan said. “I’m really relying on her expertise to help me know what to do, what not to do. I’m forever grateful that somebody here had the wisdom to put us together.”

Next CASA Volunteer Training

Anyone interested in becoming a CASA volunteer can fill out an application at www.casaoflexington.org/apply. You can see upcoming training schedules at www.casaoflexington.org/training. For more information, email info@casaoflexington.org.