Garrard woman finds rewarding volunteer work advocating for vulnerable children

CASA Volunteer Linda Baker

Lancaster, Ky. – Linda Baker is always looking for a way to help her community. She is working with the Garrard County Homeless Coalition, she serves on the Garrard-Lincoln Early Childhood Coalition advisory board and she’s involved with United Way projects, among many other pursuits.

She is also a CASA volunteer — one of Garrard County’s best, in fact. This October, she has been named a CASA Volunteer of the Month for the seven-county CASA region that includes Garrard County.

“People ask me all the time, ‘Why do you do CASA?’ I say because I hope I’m doing good for a child,” Baker said. “If I can help one child in my life and make a difference, that’s what I want to do.”

Baker is helping more than one child. She is a volunteer advocate for two children stuck in the local family court system. As a CASA volunteer, she visits the children regularly, developing a relationship with them and giving them hope. She also provides reports to Family Court Judge Jeff Moss, which helps him make more informed decisions that benefit the children.

Baker said even though she’s known Moss a long time, “the first time I went to court, I was shaking in my shoes. I didn’t really know what to expect.”

But Baker’s Volunteer Manager Jennifer Lamb was sitting next to her when her children’s case was called.

“Jennifer said, ‘Would you like me to go up with you?’ I said yes, so she stood next to me and was there for me,” Baker said. “The second time I went, Jennifer asked again. This time, I said, ‘No, I’m fine now.”

Lamb nominated Baker for Volunteer of the Month because of how much good she is accomplishing for her CASA children.

“Linda is a rock star advocate,” Lamb said. “She believes in our mission and has been wonderful at getting the word out that we need advocates in Garrard and Lincoln counties. She works tirelessly to help promote CASA’s work and I will always be grateful she listened to her heart and became a CASA advocate.”

Baker said among other things, she has helped the children with homework, let one of the kids play jokes on her, taught them about being polite — and given them hugs every time her visits are over.

Initially, the children were shy when she visited, but Baker said they warmed up to her as she kept showing up and being a positive, consistent presence for them.

“It has been so rewarding to me to see the kids come around,” she said. “It has maybe even been more rewarding for me than it has been for the kids.”