Lexington woman has made a difference for 17 children as a CASA volunteer

CASA volunteer Meredith Feiertag

After Meredith Feiertag moved to central Kentucky, she began looking for a way to fulfill her desire to improve children’s wellbeing.

“A friend of mine was a volunteer with CASA and encouraged me to apply,” she said. “The chance to make a meaningful difference for and connection with kids facing a difficult situation appealed to me, and CASA offered an opportunity to do just that.”

Feiertag became a CASA advocate, someone who is matched with abused and neglected children and speaks up for what the children need. She teamed up with her Volunteer Manager Dennis Stutsman, and with his support has now advocated for 17 children over the past nearly four and a half years.

“Dennis has been such a crucial support to me over the years. He is a steady perspective when I am feeling unsure about what’s best to recommend,” she said. “He also always makes me feel trusted and will back me up.”

Each CASA volunteer gives about 5-10 hours a month to improve the life of a child. They visit the child monthly, talk to people involved in the child’s life and write reports that identify what the child’s needs are.

Every CASA volunteer is paired with a Volunteer Manager, a paid staff person with extensive training on the court system. Stutsman, Feiertag’s Volunteer Manager, said he appreciates her persistence in finding ways to make things better for her CASA kids.

“She makes careful recommendations, works diligently with biological parents who face major challenges, and writes solid reports,” Stutsman said. “After each case closure, she always examines how she made a difference and how she can get even better on her next case.”

Feiertag said serving as a CASA volunteer allows her to directly impact the futures of children who are facing some of the most difficult days of their lives while they are still very young.

“Advocating in court may seem intimidating at first, but seeing the passion that the judge has for understanding the situation and doing what’s best for the children makes it feel like a safe environment,” she said. “CASA is an essential part of the team.”

The central duty of each CASA volunteer is visiting their assigned child regularly.

“It’s important to me to meet kids where they are and care about whatever is important to them, whether it’s playing with their favorite toy, or asking about a school activity they mentioned to you on a previous visit, or reading a book they recommended,” she said. “It may seem little, but it demonstrates that they are important to you and helps build trust to talk about bigger things.”

Those bigger things can include the difficult situations children in family court cases face, such as severe abuse, poverty, substance misuse and medical neglect, Stutsman said.

Abused and neglected children have usually experienced multiple traumatic events, which puts them at far greater risk for things like substance misuse, homelessness and incarceration when they get older. They’re unfortunately also likely to struggle to regain safe, permanent homes as children.

But CASA volunteers can help combat those trends by identifying what children need and how to get it for them.

“Often, as a CASA, you are one of the only constants as a case moves through court. You are the most familiar with the history of the case. You help provide a complete picture and make sure important information isn’t overlooked,” Feiertag said. “Being a CASA is a longer commitment, but it is also one of the most rewarding volunteer opportunities you can find.”

If you would like to learn more about becoming a CASA volunteer, you can visit www.casaoflexington.org or call (859) 246-4313.