When Sydney Jones first heard about CASA, she didn’t sign up right away.
“I could tell pretty quickly that it was a serious commitment, and I wanted to make sure that if I applied, I was at a point in my life where I could truly give it the time and effort it deserved,” Jones said. “I sat with the idea for close to a year, continued researching, and eventually applied the following June. That’s when my CASA journey officially started!”
Jones has now been serving as a CASA volunteer for just over a year. She was matched with a young child who had been exposed to substance use and domestic violence. The child is now part of an ongoing family court case, and Jones is doing everything she can to help her heal and get her back to a safe, permanent home.
Jones has done such a good job connecting with and advocating for her CASA child that her Volunteer Manager Dennis Stutsman nominated her to be a CASA Volunteer of the Month for CASA of Lexington’s seven-county region.
“It has been incredibly rewarding work, and it feels really special to be recognized for it,” she said. “When I received my first case, I didn’t know the child or family yet, and I had never been through the court or CASA process before, so there was nothing for me to compare it to. Now that I’ve been involved with my case for about a year, so much of it feels natural. I’ve had time to build relationships, better understand the process, and become more comfortable advocating within it.”
Jones, 26, moved to Lexington about three years ago after graduating from Eastern Kentucky University. Around the same time, she started her own marketing agency, which has grown to a team of three working with about 15 local and remote clients across the country. In her free time, she fosters animals with the Humane Society and is an avid reader and member of a Lexington book club.
Stutsman said Jones actively engages with her child on every visit and supports her educational progress. Recently, Jones celebrated when the child’s test results improved by more than 20 points.
“To me, it was never really a question of whether CASA was worth my time,” Jones said. “My bigger question was whether I could be a good and worthy advocate for a child who needed one.”
Jones said CASA children are still learning how the world works and they cannot effectively advocate for themselves within the family court system.
“If I have the capacity to show up, listen, advocate, and hopefully make even a small difference in the life of a child during such an impressionable time, that feels incredibly worthwhile to me,” she said.
It takes about 5 to 10 hours a month to serve as a CASA volunteer. To learn more or complete a volunteer application, visit www.casaoflexington.org.