Sonoma County CASA advocates for children in court system

One day about 20 years ago, Sonoma resident Sharon Ryan read an article in the Press Democrat about a new mentoring program. Known as Sonoma County Court Appointed Special Advocates - CASA, for short - it was intended to help children who were dependent on the court.

“The article said that children needed a voice in court,” Ryan recalled. “Someone who would spend time with them and help them realize that they’re not alone in the world, that people care about them.

“I had a full-time job, and the mentoring commitment was about 10 hours a month, but I figured I could handle that. So I took their first training class and was matched with a child. In the years since, I’ve mentored about seven children. The girl I’m mentoring right now is 18, and she’s making very positive strides, planning to go to college.”

Children who enter the legal protective system have been subjected to abuse, said Millie Gilson, executive director of Sonoma County CASA.

“In most cases (they) have been reported to child protective services by someone outside the home, typically by professionals such as doctors, nurses, teachers, coaches, day care workers, health practitioners.”

Life can be difficult, confusing and even frightening for kids caught up in that system. Social workers assigned to their cases have many other children to protect, as do court-appointed attorneys, counselors, law enforcement officials and other legal representatives. They also come and go. They’re promoted, change jobs, move to another state or retire, leaving children alone in a system that appears to be baffling or uncaring.

That’s where Sonoma County CASA steps in. It screens and trains volunteer community members for a child advocacy role. After training, they’re appointed by a juvenile court judge to advocate one-on-one for children or youth who have been removed from their homes and entered the foster care system because of abuse or neglect.

“I met my first child on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day,” Ryan said. “She was placed in a foster care home in Novato, and I went there and we took a walk in the park. That was the beginning. For a while she went to another placement in Willits, which was quite a drive, but I was with her until she aged out. I still hear from her now and again.”

By forming stable relationships with foster children, CASA volunteers meet regularly with their mentees and spend time walking, playing ball, attending events, enjoying a picnic or going out for pizza. In addition to advocating for the child in court, they provide hope and prevent kids from getting lost in the strained legal and youth services system.

“The idea is for kids to know there’s an extra voice helping them navigate the courts, someone who helps get their wants and needs communicated,” Ryan said. “The kids see so much change in their lives - they can be placed in a different living situation, their social worker might change. You’re the constant in their lives. You provide stability..”

Sonoma County CASA operates with a yearly budget of $520,000, money derived from grants ?(55 percent), individual donations (15 percent), events such as the upcoming Hearts for Children Gala & Fundraiser on March 18 (15 percent), corporate sponsorship (15 percent) and in-kind services.

“CASA is such a cost-effective, efficiently run organization,” said founding Executive Director Millie Gilson. “We only spend 18 cents out of each dollar on administrative overhead. There’s really not a better place to put your money when you think about charitable giving.”

Since Sonoma County CASA began in 1997, more than 1,270 children have been mentored by 720 volunteers. On average, 30-35 youth are on a waiting list hoping to be assigned to a volunteer.

“We offer volunteer training on a quarterly basis,” Gilson said. “We welcome volunteers. Sharon Ryan is a model volunteer, the Volunteer Extraordinaire. She’s been with me since the beginning 20 years ago, and played a role in every facet of the organization. Sharon has been a steadfast and loyal CASA.”

“We’re here for the kids,” Ryan points out. “It’s not an ego thing. It’s just being able to make a little difference in a child’s life. Maybe through all those visits you’ve had together, you may have said something that struck a chord, something that mattered to the child, something they’ll carry through life.”

Ryan was born and raised in San Francisco, moving to Sonoma with her husband in 1978. She has three children, “all grown now,” and three grandchildren she loves to spend time with. Until her retirement a few years ago, she worked at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Petaluma.

“I’ve always had a passion for kids,” Ryan said. “I love working with and spending time with kids. My reward with CASA is that I get to make a difference in someone’s life. I get to help them realize that they are very valuable human beings in spite of their circumstances, in spite of what experiences they may have had prior to being taken into the system. They’re important, and they matter. It makes me happy to let them know that. When you have blessings in your life and your life is going well, you have to turn around and pass it on. You can’t just sit back and say, ‘Hey, life is good.’ You have to help.”