This article was contributed by CASA of San Benito County.
Meet teenage siblings Tanya and Sean (names have been changed). She’s athletic, spirited and fiercely independent. He’s artistic, reserved and kind-hearted. Typical teens, who also happened to have spent the vast majority of their lives in foster care. In just the last five years, they’ve lived in six foster homes, sometimes separated from one another, and assigned to four different social workers. The only constant? Their CASA (court appointed special advocate).
Whenever they needed someone to talk to, their CASA was only a phone call away.
When Tanya, 19, and Sean, 18, expressed a desire to learn home economic skills, their CASA showed up with her sewing machine, scrap booking supplies, and ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch.
When the children needed educational support, their CASA met with caregivers, schools, teachers, and counselors to ensure they both graduated high school.
When the children wanted to participate in sports and extra-curricular activities, the CASA program was able to provide financial assistance to help cover fees so Tanya and Sean could have the same experiences as their peers.
When the children celebrated birthdays, graduations, and major accomplishments, their advocate was there to celebrate with them, and the CASA program provided cakes and gifts to commemorate these important milestones.
We are excited to share that Tanya is now a sophomore at a four-year college, and Sean recently graduated high school and is now attending a trade school.
It truly does take a village. Because of your generosity, the CASA program ensures these siblings, and many more foster children from San Benito County, will continue to have bright futures and positive outcomes. Thank you!
San Benito GIVES is now underway—This is a great opportunity to continue supporting foster children from our community!
To learn more about CASA of San Benito County, please contact the office at (831) 637-4992, email [email protected], or visit www.casasanbenito.org.
San Benito GIVES is hosted by the Community Foundation for San Benito County in partnership with the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and Community Foundation for Silicon Valley.
