I want to share a program I have been passionate about and volunteered with for over 10 years.

About a year after we relocated to Florida in 2014, several representatives from various nonprofit organizations visited our church to share their need for volunteers to help the community. One program, in particular, caught my interest: the Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) program.

In some states, this is known as the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. GAL and CASA coexist nationally, with the shared mission of advocating for the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect. Volunteers work alongside child welfare professionals, educators, and service providers to ensure judges have the information they need to make well-informed decisions for each child.

There are 939 state and local programs in 49 states and the District of Columbia, with over 79,000 volunteers nationwide. The program was the inspiration that came to Seattle Juvenile Court Judge David W. Soukup in 1976. Judge Soukup had insufficient information to make a life-changing decision for a 3-year-old girl who had suffered from child abuse. That is where the idea came from; he realized that children in such cases needed trained volunteers to speak up for their best interests in court.

Since joining the GAL program, I have worked with 10 children. Each child has faced different circumstances, but all shared the same need for someone they could trust and who they knew genuinely cared about them. Of those 10 children, five have been reunited with their parents or adopted by family or close friends. One has aged out of the system and is now attending college, and four are still awaiting a forever home.

My very first case involved a 6-year-old boy with autism. He had been removed from his father’s care after a drug deal gone wrong, during which the father was shot in the arm, all while the boy was in the room. His mother, remarried to a convicted felon, was not a placement option. Ultimately, the boy was placed with his paternal grandparents, which in this case was an excellent decision.

As in every case, the first goal is to help the parents receive the support they need and reunify the children with them when possible. This involves a structured one-year program, including random drug and alcohol testing, parenting and recovery classes, anger management, and other court-mandated steps. In this case, the father was fully engaged, while the mother and stepfather failed multiple drug tests and violated court orders.

Shockingly, about a month into the case, I discovered that the mother and stepfather had appeared on The Jerry Springer Show. The show revealed disturbing behavior that violated court orders. I was anxious for the next staffing meeting with every party involved in the case. I brought this to the attention of the case team as it had not come up before, and it was a surprise to everyone, especially their attorney, who quit the case on the spot. It was not a very popular move on my part, but it was my responsibility to ensure it made it into the court record. Eventually, the boy was reunited with his father. Years later, I ran into him at a high school basketball game, and he was doing well, thriving in junior high, and happy to see me. The other cases have had their ups and downs, and all have had life-changing effects on the children, but that first case was truly a baptism by fire.

One case I am involved with right now has been my biggest challenge. I am in my 5th year with this now 12-year-old boy. He is a very smart kid, but struggles with social interaction. He has been placed in five different foster homes to date, and has cycled through four case managers and four therapists. I have been the only constant in his life, and now he is in a group home (staff-managed) in Clearwater, Florida, 90 miles from me. Because the location is outside my county’s jurisdiction, I can no longer officially serve as his GAL, but I promised him I would stay in touch. He has called me almost every day in the three weeks he has been in this placement, and I am currently advocating for him to be placed in a therapeutic home, which he truly needs.

Last week, he asked me if I would attend his 5th grade graduation, and that’s exactly what I did yesterday. I was the only person there for him.

The point I want to make is this: while being a GAL volunteer can be a daunting responsibility, the personal rewards are deeply fulfilling. If you have the desire and the time to make a difference, I encourage you to learn more at www.nationalcasagal.org, or feel free to call me at (217) 543-5206.

And always remember: “It’s for the children.”