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| Tanisha Harris, CASA Program Specialist |
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.
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