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<\/a>That\u2019s where CASAs, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, come in. There\u2019s about 1,000 in San Diego, all of whom are volunteers. They\u2019re each assigned to just one child or family at a time. Formally, their job is to appear in court a couple times a year to give their personal take on the situation, free of court jargon and the burden of dealing with a hundred other cases. But CASAs do much more than that. They fill a much needed gap in the many challenges not accounted for by the foster care system, the problems that every child faces, but might not have an adult there to see that they\u2019re helped. A CASA is a much-needed human relationship in a foster care system that\u2019s often tumultuous for children in their developing years.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a difficult job, sometimes comprised of interaction with children and their families that see a CASA as nothing more than another cog in a machine seeking to separate child from parent. Even when a child is appreciative of a CASA\u2019s altruistic efforts, the weight of wading through the foster care system with them can be equally trying.<\/p>\n
So when a person chooses to dedicate a significant part of their life to this\u2014say, 25 years\u2014it\u2019s notable. Cheryl Greaves, a marketing executive turned Pilates instructor living in South Park, has been doing this longer than anyone she knows. Most people who know her don\u2019t have a clue about her deep-rooted place in the foster care system; CASAs don\u2019t tend to involve themselves in the program for public accolades. When interviewed, Greaves seemed genuinely surprised a story was being written about what has become such a natural aspect into her life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the thing about being a casa,\u201d Greaves said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of lonely in the sense that you don\u2019t really talk about it at a dinner party with your friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1988, when Greaves took her first case, she didn\u2019t know what to expect. She joined with a co-worker, seeing it as a good way to benefit the small but growing San Diego community. Greaves and the co-worker started their respective first cases simultaneously. The co-worker\u2019s case lasted a couple years, and she drifted away from the system after it ended. Greaves\u2019 case? It lasted 12 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m kind of a loyal person.\u201d Greaves said. \u201cIf I commit, I commit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The case began with two young girls, ages four and six. Both would \u201cage out\u201d of foster care by the end of the case. The biological mother of the first two had had a third child, which Greaves inherited into the case as well.<\/p>\n
After a dozen years with the family, Greaves formed an unusually personal connection relative to other CASA cases. She still hears from them every once in a while.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know in some way I\u2019m touching these children\u2019s lives, and whether it shows immediately or 10 years down the road, it\u2019s going to make a difference,\u201d Greaves said. \u201cAnd if that\u2019s the least I can do in my life, then why not.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the CASA program is nationwide, the CASAs in San Diego belong to a program called Voices for Children. Commendable among the many CASA organizations nationwide, VFC has grown from ten full-time employees 15 years ago to 63 staffers today. With 1,000 CASA volunteers, they\u2019re able to represent more than 25 percent of San Diego\u2019s foster children.<\/p>\n
After 25 years, 11 cases and a big bundle of challenges, one would expect Greaves, who escaped the stress of a 27-year marketing career, to be ready to cease being a CASA and focus on the relaxing work of running a Pilates studio. She has no intention of doing so.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long will I continue? Until we\u2019re no longer needed,\u201d Greaves said without hesitation. \u201cI guess when child neglect and child abuse no longer exist, we won\u2019t have a job anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
VFC President and CEO Sharon Lawrence shares this vision, aspiring to find a CASA for every foster child who needs one by the year 2016, but judging by current CASA-to-child ratios, that will require more than tripling their current amount of CASAs. Still, Lawrence believes that by spreading awareness, people will be motivated to do something about the tragedies that happen every day here in San Diego.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe children have often told me that the good times they have with their CASA volunteer help them get through those really bad or really sad days,\u201d Lawrence said. \u201cIf you think about it, foster care is pretty scary \u2026 having somebody by their side is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n