Carrie
This month I would like to introduce everyone to Carrie Cosme. Carrie has been a CASA volunteer since December of 2009, she has been mentoring and advocating for youth for nearly 7 years.
I asked her why she chose CASA, she said,
"I have always had a heart for children in the system and I knew I wanted to work with them however I was unsure as to how or where. Then one day I happened to be watching Dr. Phil (I looooove him!) and he did a segment on C.A.S.A. and it was my "Ahaa" moment, so I Googled C.A.S.A. and the office at the time was literally 2 blocks away from my job. So I called and got in touch with Maggie and the rest is history."
When asked to look back and to share some of her most memorable moments, she said,
"Every youth has been memorable, even the not so pretty moments. But I think the ones that stand out the most is when my youth calls me on their own to share the good and the bad times. I think at that moment they realize that I'm genuinely there for them because I WANT to be, not because I have to be."
Carrie had this to say about her challenges over the years,
"Anger....a lot of these kids have been through some horribly traumatic events in their lives and don't have coping skills to deal with them. So they're angry, I've been called some pretty graphic names, including things I've had to Google.
I asked Carrie if CASA volunteers make a difference, she said,
"I believe that C.A.S.A's 100% make a difference. Our kids get to know that they have someone in their corner no matter what. And the difference extends to courts as well. We are always thanked when we go to hearings because they know they're getting an accurate description of what our kids need and without a C.A.S.A. that information would be lost."
Carrie had theses final thoughts,
"I love talking to people about C.A.S.A. and I find that most people that I talk to have never heard of it. So I think we need to get the word out as to who we are and what we do."
Will you help us get the word out and ensure that every youth in our foster care system that is in need of a CASA has one? To get started please click the link below and share it with friends, family, and co-workers.
