A CASA Story

MARQUITA

The judge told Marquita’s mother, "It’s up to you how soon you get your daughter back."

Eight-year-old Marquita’s life was in turmoil. After being physically abused by her mother’s boyfriend while her mom was passed out drunk, Marquita was living in foster care, feeling she had nothing to look forward to.

So the judge ordered Marquita’s mother into alcohol treatment immediately. She also ordered the boyfriend to have "no contact" with Marquita.

Then the judge appointed a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer to be involved.

And that’s how it all began.

Jean, Marquita’s CASA volunteer, visited Marquita weekly. When Marquita complained of being unable to do her homework, Jean met with her teachers who had no idea of the trauma Marquita had endured, including the change of home, school and separation from her loved ones.

A plan was devised to bring her up to date with her schoolwork, but Marquita still missed her mother terribly. Although visitation was court-ordered, implementing it was difficult. Her mother was trying to work part-time and attend her alcohol treatment program; Marquita was attending counseling sessions twice a week and trying to catch up on her schoolwork. Jean and the mother’s counselor arranged for mother and daughter visits after their sessions. Soon Marquita and her mother began to feel more hopeful for their futures. Because Marquita was able to see how her mother was improving, she felt much less scared and more able to concentrate on her schoolwork-and with Jean’s constant encouragement, her grades began to soar.

This summer, Marquita is looking forward to her birthday. She and her mother recently moved into a small two-bedroom apartment. Her mother has been sober for eight months, attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings regularly, and has put the abusive boyfriend completely out of the family picture. Though the court case has been dismissed, Jean still visits once a week, and Marquita’s mother credits Jean with the constant support Marquita needed to get through this ordeal.

It is amazing the impact a little one-on-one extra attention can have on troubled families. That attention is what CASA is all about. Family Court judges see the results, which is why they’ve demanded CASA's service more and more over the past 15 years.

There are hundreds of children like Marquita awaiting the services of a CASA volunteer. Currently we are serving only about 25% of the children who are in the Family Court system and could benefit from a CASA volunteer. Our goal is to be able to provide a volunteer for every child who needs one.