When she retired from FedEx five years ago, Lynda Owens wanted to volunteer to help either children or pets. She learned that stray animals have twice as many donations and support as disadvantaged children.
So with characteristic energy, she dove into helping children with the Golden Crescent CASA and never looked back. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate of a child in foster care, she’s all in.
“When I take a case, they are my child,” Owens said. “There’s nothing like a little one running down the hallway, calling your name and hugging you. It just melts your heart.”
Owens has also found another job at CASA that she loves: recruiting. With her infectious and enthusiastic high energy, she’s a natural for sharing the joy of advocating for children.
“CASA builds a rapport with the child and the judge,” Owens said.
Of the team of three people assigned to each foster child, Owen said that judges usually put a lot of stock in CASA’s opinion because they have no skin in the game; they are not paid to be there. And they have spent more time with the child.
Sometimes the child has been bounced around foster homes, but CASA is always there, irregardless, Owens said.
She said the first few visits with a child, she just plays games with them. “Depending on the age,” Owens said. “The teenagers know what’s up, and you can be honest with them.” In Texas, some areas have contracted out the child placement services. The Golden Crescent eight county region is served by a division of SJRC Texas, called Belong. Owens said children often do not trust the Belong worker that took them from home, but the CASA worker is able to have a first impression of kindness and can develop trust.
“CASA is a face they know and can trust,” she said. “Often CASA can get the information that Belong needs.”
CASA tries to shield younger children from parents’ issues, but answer honestly in an age appropriate way to the inevitable questions, re-assuring them that “None of this s your fault.”
The attorney will represent what the child wants, Owens said. But Belong and CASA recommend what is in the best interest of the child.
“CASA is there to protect and make sure kids don’t fall through the cracks,” she said.
When asked about the most challenging part of CASA work, Owens' eyes tear up.
She said some bio parents don’t want to follow the plan that the law lays out, such as parenting class or drug tests. “Or they have six months to do their service plan, and they wait five months before starting it,” she said. “How can you do that to your child?”
“It can be frustrating. You have to be thick skinned, but there are a lot of rewards.”
Owen said for some mothers, it's a wakeup call when their children are removed. They want to do whatever they can as quickly as they can to get them back.
In her first year volunteering, Owen admits to being naive.
“Reading the case files I was shocked. I didn’t know what was happening, and I kept asking ‘How do you treat a child like that?’ ” She said COVID wiped out volunteer organizations, and that they are all struggling to get volunteers back.
“People didn’t want to go out, and fosters didn’t want people coming in,” Owens said. DeWitt County is still rebuilding its CASA volunteers since the pandemic.
The county has 30 foster children from 19 families. Eight of those children do not have a CASA volunteer.
On Monday, Aug. 19, Owens will host a CASA Q&A at the Cuero Municipal Library from 4-5 p.m.
She said that 12 hours of in-person training is required. However, CASA will set up a mutual place for that training, so volunteers don’t have to drive far. There is also online and virtual training to complete and then a trip to Victoria for the swearing in.
The Golden Crescent CASA covers eight counties.
“We will try our best to keep the volunteers in DeWitt County,” Owens said, “but sometimes there’s a need in an adjoining county. Right now there are no volunteers in Gonzales.”
After the initial training, there is also an opportunity for Peer to Peer Support every third Thursday. Volunteers gather and help mentor new CASAs who have questions.
“All the cases are the same except every one is different, ” Owens said. “I learn something new every month.”
Owens’ new passion for recruiting and training volunteers means she has not taken on new cases after successfully seeing “her kids” through to a family. She said she will always have at least one case, but she also loves her new role of helping other CASA’s experience the joy of helping children.
“When I see a child reunited with bio parents or adopted, I know they’re getting the life that they deserve,” she said. “I’m gonna miss them, but I’ve seen them through.”
