I’ve been Chris’ CASA for over a year now. He’s an outgoing kid who immediately attaches to people because he’s been in the system for so long, and there have been a lot of people in and out of his life. He’s more of an extroverted kid, so he’s just used to new people coming in. We didn’t have any issues getting to know each other at the beginning—now it’s about going out and doing something fun on those days when we’re together!
Chris and I get together a couple of times a month. For him, it’s special to get out of the house. He loves to go out, and I try to arrange things that he’s interested in—playing games, going to Blackbeard’s. Any chance for him to have fun and be a kid is what I focus on with him.
When Chris was at risk of being put on probation, I wrote a letter to the judge and court explaining the trauma he’d endured and how that affected his behavior. The courts agreed with me that it wasn’t best for Chris to be put on probation, and the charges were vacated.
*The names of individuals mentioned in this story have been changed to safeguard the identities and privacy of the foster youth involved
