Susan Maupin gets joy from helping children as a CASA volunteer

CASA Volunteer of the Month Susan Maupin

Susan Maupin had crossed paths with CASA too many times to ignore it anymore.

She had heard about Court-Appointed Special Advocates at her job. She had relatives who had been CASA volunteers. Her pastor talked about CASA volunteering. And she had seen children served by her church who were affected by the foster and family court systems.

“At this point, it had simply come to me too many times. Most people have never even heard of CASA,” Susan said. “I feel that my faith has told me that God tells us to take care of our children.”

So, she signed up for a training class and became a Garrard County CASA volunteer.

Every CASA volunteer like Susan is matched with an abused or neglected child in the family court system. The volunteer visits their matched child monthly, gathers information about their life, and alerts the professionals working the child’s case if something is being overlooked or the child has an unmet need.

It takes about 5 to 10 hours of volunteer time per month to serve as a CASA volunteer.

“It’s rewarding because you’re not just helping the child,” Susan said. “You can be helping the parent or grandparent caring for the child, too.”

Susan was one of the first CASA volunteers in Garrard County and has now advocated for three children over the past two and a half years. Garrard County CASA Volunteer Manager Jennifer Lamb nominated her to be a CASA Volunteer of the Month for April because of how effective she is.

“She is very calm, which is help for these kids who are often in high-strung situations,” Lamb said. “She is always focused and concerned about doing what is best for the kids.”

Susan said serving as a CASA volunteer is worth her time because she gets to give children with uncomfortable lives a little bit of comfort.

“When you can give a child comfort and a little bit of peace, it’s rewarding. It makes your heart feel warm,” she said. “I didn’t expect to get that when I signed up.”

Susan said she would love to see more people in Garrard County become CASA volunteers because they would be making their own lives better while they’re helping children.

“You might think you’re doing it for the child – and you do. But there’s so much more that you get out of it yourself,” she said. “You know you gave a child something that maybe they never had. It’s just rewarding for your own heart to know you’re helping a child.”

If you would like to learn more about volunteering with Garrard County’s CASA program, visit www.casaoflexington.org.