WATSONVILLE – The first thing the 17-year-old noticed when he walked through the front door of CASA”s new home on Freedom Boulevard was the table with the checkerboard printed on top.
CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates – is a nonprofit that serves neglected or abused children, primarily those in the foster care.
The 17-year-old accompanied Dan Pellegrino, a volunteer advocate who works with two teenage boys, spending time with them each week and helping ensure their needs get met.
“”Let”s play checkers,” he said,” Pellegrino recalled. And so they did. Playing board games is relaxing, a great way to connect, Pellegrino said.
It”s just the type of interaction CASA leaders hoped to nurture when they moved the nonprofit”s headquarters from an office building on Green Valley Road to the more home-like environment of The Mary and Richard Solari House.
The vintage two-story home has been completely renovated with the help of $300,000 in donations of labor and materials. On the first floor, bright rooms provide comfortable settings for children and their advocates to engage in art, games, tutoring, cooking and conversation. CASA”s offices are upstairs. Outside, the house has been transformed into a neighborhood standout with green paint, red awnings, landscaping and a picket fence.
As CASA settles into its new home across the street from Callaghan Park, the nonprofit is recruiting volunteers. The organization served more than 170 children last year, but typically has a waiting list of 30 or more.
“It just takes the will to make a difference in some kid”s life who”s had it tough through nothing they”ve done,” said Pellegrino, who started volunteering with CASA three years ago. “Just showing up every week, that”s 90 percent of it.”
CASA program manager Charles Lerner said volunteers are more than mentors, however. They also must commit to advocating for their child. That can mean weighing in at a child”s school as well as before a judge on the best placement for the child.
Volunteers receive 35 hours of training, and are supported by a case manager.
Denise Gomez, a retired Pajaro Valley teacher, has been volunteering for two years, and has been an advocate for a 12-year-old girl. She currently volunteers with a 9-year-old boy.
“I had some extra time, and decided the commitment would be positive thing in my life, as well as being a service to the community,” Gomez said.
She said CASA advocates can represent a constant presence in the life of child during a period of turmoil. She said she and the 9-year-old spend time visiting pet stores, going to parks, eating out, whatever interests him.
“It”s really gratifying,” Gomez said.
Pellegrino said it”s hard to know sometimes whether he”s having an impact. The underlying circumstances that brought a child to the attention of the court haven”t necessarily changed. But he said last Father”s Day, one of the teens, told him he was like “my father.”
“He was saying, you”re like I have a father,” Pellegrino said. “I thought, ”Wow! That”s powerful. Maybe there is a difference being made here.”
HOW TO HELP
CASA volunteers
WHAT: Spend time with and advocate for children in the foster care system.
WHEN: Volunteer orientations will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dec. 7 and Jan. 4 at Bay Federal Credit Union, 3333 Clares St., Capitola, and Dec. 15 and Jan. 19 at the CASA House, 813 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville. The next 5-week training will start Feb. 1.
For information, call 761-2956 ext. 102, e-mail Danielle@casaofsantacruz.org or visit www.casaofsantacruz.org
