Wrote by a teenage CASA youth, this letter shares the impact of her CASA mentors in her life.

“I remember the first time I met Mike & Kathy. I had no idea who they were or why they wanted to help me. I kept saying “Who are these people?” I had only been in foster care about a year, but I already noticed that you meet a lot of people once or twice and never see them again. Mike and Kathy kept showing up.

Many foster kids have no choice but to bounce from home to home. I thought an “advocate” is someone who makes choices for you so I was really hesitant because there were already so many strangers in my life making decisions on my behalf. But Mike and Kathy were different; they were advocating for me. They were making sure my voice was heard. Their support did not stop there. Not only was I growing confident in who I was, but I was gaining life experiences and even having fun for the first time in a long time. I got to go to the snow multiple times, movies, Stockton ports games, the beach for my birthday, senior graduation parade, and they even took me to see my biological brother, James, play soccer! Mike and Kathy taught me how to cook my first meal. All of these experiences may not seem like a lot to you, but for a foster kid who does nothing, it’s like opening gifts on Christmas morning but even better because I found somebody to spend quality time with.

Fridays were my favorite day of the week because I felt like no matter how bad the week was, everything was going to be okay since it was the day I got to spend time with my CASAs. I don’t only view Mike and Kathy as my CASAs, I view them as my parent figures, my mentors, and my friends. Thank you taking the time to change my life.

Tisha