Meet Kathy Shirilla

I was born and raised in Southern California. My parents had just purchased their first home when I came along. We lived amidst the orange groves. I believe we were one of the first homes built in the area.

Kathy with her daughter, Katie

I had wonderful parents along with an older brother and sister and a younger brother. I was my father’s daughter who would follow him everywhere. He loved to garden and I learned all his techniques. We would spend hours out in the yard. He also loved to golf, so I took up golf.

My mother was an excellent cook but I preferred to be outdoors. Perhaps this is why I continue to struggle with cooking but I sure can barbeque. My father taught me to drive in the bean fields. Not long after, the orange groves disappeared as did the bean fields.

I attended school in Orange County. After I finished school, I began my social services career in 1974 with the Orange County Social and Human Services. We were a small office located below a methadone clinic. I served a variety of clients and I worked with all ages. I found that this was both rewarding and challenging at the same time. I really found my true career path.

Our little family moved to beautiful Southern Oregon in the small town of Brookings on the coast. I began with the state working at the CSO office. I really learned about poverty and the plight of those in need. I can remember that many folks camped out because they could not find affordable housing. I would do home visits back in the woods and up the river. My directions included counting downed trees and following the river’s edge. You know, turn left at the fourth downed tree go right where the path forks. There was never a dull moment.

When we moved to Vancouver, I had noticed an article in the newspaper a story about the CASA Program. I was taken in by the service the program provided.

I began volunteering in 1995. I find that this work is the most difficult, but most rewarding work I have ever attempted. I find many disappointments along the way but when I see the changes I can make in a child’s life, I feel so encouraged to keep doing this work.

I was hired as a case manager in 1999 and took in all the new cases until funds ran out in 2001. In 2002, I was again rehired as a program specialist. Not only do I get the opportunity to help our most vulnerable children but I also get to meet and work with the most giving and fabulous people. Our volunteers are a great joy. I like the teaching but more, I love watching the CASA volunteers grow and feel that satisfaction they can get when they have succeed in helping these children.

Outside of work I still golf and garden. I also have good times with the many friends I have made since working at the YWCA. Both my children have graduated college and have moved away. We are still very close and enjoy the all times we get together.

Why I'm a CASA Program Specialist

Tanisha Harris, CASA Program Specialist

by Tanisha Harris

The best thing about being a CASA is seeing families succeed and parents be reunified with their children. This is no more evident every December when YWCA Clark County hosts our annual Holiday Shop.

In order to shop, our parents must have their children in their care. This past December a good number of CASA parents came from the Family Treatment Program. Parents in this program have severe drug and alcohol issues. In the beginning of their cases, most parents are in Inpatient Treatment programs and are struggling to get clean and sober. By the time December came, a number of them had completed the program, were caring for their children, and starting a new life for their families.

Knowing the struggles these parents and children faced, it is truly gratifying and rewarding to see the pure joy on the faces of these parents as they “shopped” for their children at YWCA’s Holiday Shop. (Gifts are donated, and parents select items for themselves and their children at no cost.) Many parents are either emotional or reflective, as this might be the first time in awhile they were able to spend the holidays with their children.

As I helped out this past December, I too was reflective of what it means to be a CASA and the journey you go on with the children. I was reminded of how hard these parents fought and what they overcame to get their children back and the importance of never giving up.

The job of a CASA requires having a caring heart, passion for all children, and wanting children to know that they are important and special. It’s not about winning or losing; arguing or debating. It’s about advocating what is best for the child.

My First Case

by Gleena Rees

I first met Amanda when she was six years old. She was already in her second foster home. She was very shy. She would hide under tables and not talk.

In her second home, she was in a great place. She was a very active girl. In this home, she was learning manners and how to relate to people. Her hand and arms and legs moved all the time, but she was also beginning to have some control. She had a hard time in school as she did not know how to relate to other children, but she was making progress.

She was in this home over a year before she was moved to foster home that was to be a forever home. There were older children in the home, and she and the mom could not bond. So after about a year she was moved to yet another foster home.

There, she made great progress learning many personal skills. She really liked the family. But once again she was moved. This time it was not a good fit. Thanks to social worker and CASA she was moved to another home. Amanda liked being there, as they were a very active family, and so was she!

After many moves she has now found her forever family. She was adopted in April 17th 2015. She has two brothers and a loving new home.

This was my first case as a CASA, and I learned many things along the way. I had great program specialist and some good social workers who made this much more workable. I have enjoyed watching Amanda change over the years in to a nice and happy young girl.

About the CASA
Glenna was a steady presence in Amanda’s life and she visited her frequently. Glenna became an extended part of Amanda’s life and she was greeted by Amanda on adoption day with smiles and hugs. Amanda is just one example of the impact Glenna has made in lives of our children.

-Sheryl Thierry, CASA Program Specialist

The Benefits of Self-Care

republished from http://livingselfcare.wordpress.com 


When we take good care of ourselves, there are multiple benefits to us as well as others. While self-care may seem self-indulgent, it’s not. Just as we’re instructed to put our oxygen mask on first if there’s an emergency on an airplane so we can help others, self-care enables us to help ourselves and others more.

Self-Care Improves Our Health
Self-care tends to improve our immunity, increase positive thinking and make us less susceptible to stress, depression, anxiety and other emotional health issues. Taking time out to care for ourselves helps remind us and others that our needs are important, too. Feeling well cared-for leads to feelings of calm and relaxation, and conveys to others that we value ourselves which contributes to long-term feelings of wellbeing.

Self-Care Makes Us a Better Caretaker
People who neglect their own needs and forget to nurture themselves are at danger of deeper levels of unhappiness, low self-esteem and feelings of resentment. Also, sometimes people who spend their time only taking care of others can be at risk for getting burned out on all the giving, which makes it more difficult to care for others or themselves. Taking time regularly for self-care can actually make you a better caretaker for others.

The Sisters

by Leslee Gibbs

I was assigned to the case in June 2010. She was a happy and sweet two-year old girl. After a few months, the little girl was moved to another foster home to be with her new sister who was born severely drug-affected and spent the first few months of her life in an intensive care unit.

There were many challenges and obstacles throughout this case. The parents were inconsistent with visiting the girls and completing court-ordered services, which was very difficult for the girls. They would disappear and have no contact for months and then want to be part of their lives again.

 After some time, the girls became legally free from their mother and there was a couple who wanted to adopt them. As the couple was going through the adoption process, a relative came forward and wanted to be a placement for the girls, but failing to follow through with the home study, the relative was found not to be a safe placement for the girls. The couple grew frustrated from waiting so long and stopped pursuing adoption.

The girls were still in the home of foster parents who wanted to make sure they ended up in a safe home, so they decided to start the process to adopt the girls. The state prepared for the trial on the fathers of the girls, but the judge postponed the trial date to give the fathers another opportunity to be present at the trial.

 The trial happened a couple months later and the girls became legally free of the fathers. A few months after the trial, another relative came forward and expressed interest in adopting the girls. The relative failed her home study and was not a viable placement for the girls.

 In March 2015, the girls were finally adopted by their foster parents. The foster parents never once complained and were incredibly patient through the entire process. The girls are very blessed to have such selfless people to take care of them.

It was an honor to attend the adoption hearing and be part of these little girls' lives. It was a long journey and took a lot persistence and patience, but it was worth it to see the smiles on their faces as they walked out of the courtroom knowing that they will be able to grow up as sisters in a happy and loving home.

About the CASA
Leslee was devoted to this case from the start and managed to endure all the twists and turns with patience and grace. The adoptive family relied on Leslee to help them through the process. She became an extension of their family and was almost as emotional at the adoption hearing as the they were. Leslee’s commitment to the case and to the CASA program has been crystal clear. She had a tremendous impact on the lives of these girls in her role as their CASA. 

-Sheryl Thierry, CASA Program Specialist