Savanna’s childhood was cut short very early on, living in a neglectful home due to her mother’s drug and alcohol abuse. She assumed the role of the parent to her younger siblings, who were eventually taken into foster care in five different homes.
After reckoning with the family separation, Savanna has mentally come to a place of peace, much in part because of the active involvement of her CASA advocate, Liz.
“Having someone there consistently for the last five years, telling me that everything was going to be OK, someone who was not going to give up on me like my mother had, made all the difference in my life,” Savanna says.
*The names of individuals mentioned in this story have been changed to safeguard the identities and privacy of the foster youth involved
