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By: Amanda Desmarais, Communications Manager – CASA of NH
Carol Felini never expected to hear a child say “here comes grandma!” to her – she doesn’t have children of her own – and she certainly didn’t expect to hear it in the hall of a courthouse. But as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer speaking for the best interests of children, she got to hear those words, and she took it as a compliment.
“He sees me as a safe place, and that’s my goal,” she says.”
After her retirement from teaching, Carol tried different volunteer opportunities but wanted something that felt truly impactful. She heard about Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Hampshire and decided to try advocating for abused and neglected children.
“When you’re a teacher, you’re a teacher – that’s the role you have to stay in – but you are aware of many difficult circumstances that kids live in,” Carol says. “CASA appealed to me as something I could do that might be meaningful in an individual’s life.”
Her first case involved a teenager who had been missing school and was suffering from complications of medical neglect.
The first time Carol met him, they talked about sports. She was impressed when he easily and concisely explained to her a type of play in basketball that she had been trying to understand.
“Right there I just knew he was a capable kid, he was an aware kid, and he just needed some help because he had a mother who couldn’t take care of him,” she says.
When he was placed out of state, Carol found creative ways to stay connected, including sending books related to his interests to the library of the program where he was placed, sending him cards on holidays and other occasions, and scheduling regular phone calls with him. When he returned to New Hampshire, Carol and his social worker arranged a birthday dinner that enabled him to connect with some of his extended family.
Today, this young man is the navigating transition to adulthood with the support of the Division of Children, Youth and Families’ HOPE program, which supports young adults formerly in DCYF care with things like education, employment and housing. He obtained his GED, and he has a job and goals for the future.
“He has the opportunity to be a typical 18-year-old boy,” Carol says. “This is a kid that kind of went from not thinking he was smart at all to deciding he wanted to be a nurse. If there had been no intervention, I don’t think he would have his high school diploma or be in a safe living situation.”
Through her work as a CASA, she has learned about the support available for children in abuse and neglect situations and how much can change when organizations and programs come together.
“It’s amazing to see in one year the difference that all of us made,” she says. “CASA is just one facet of helping a kid get to a better place in life."
She also noted the support she has received, and that she “found her people” among her fellow CASA volunteers. She said for her and other CASAs, the decision to do this work is not a hard one because they want and are able to do it – even though it can be difficult.
She noted that with CASA’s screening and training process, a prospective volunteer is able to honestly assess whether becoming a CASA is a good fit. She encourages anyone interested to attend an info session, since “you don’t have anything to lose.”
“It’s the most satisfying thing I do in my life now,” Carol says.
CASA holds virtual info sessions twice a month. Sign up at https://casanh.org/virtual-info-sessions/.
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