“This is one of those nice little fairytales where it starts out ‘Once upon a time …’ and goes through to ‘The End’ where they live happily ever after. It was my very first case with CASA — my introduction to the CASA world.” 

This is how Thomas Monahan sets the scene when talking about the case he completed in 2021, during which he advocated for three siblings who had been removed from their home due to parental abuse and substance misuse. 

The children were placed in two foster homes, both about a 40-mile drive for Thomas. Even with the distance, he stuck to his scheduled monthly visits with each of the children, and communicated frequently with their DCYF case worker.  

“It was fun to go see the kids,” Thomas recounts. He soon learned that the oldest child loved puzzles. “She staggered my imagination with how quickly she could put a puzzle together. She has a strong intellect. It was an awful shame to see how she had been deteriorating in her home situation with an abusive father and an abused mother. There were no positive opportunities for any of those kids to grow and reach their real potential.”  

In the span between the case opening and Thomas’s appointment, the father became incarcerated. Once Mom was no longer living in fear of abuse and violence, she could focus on her own recovery. By the final hearings, she had completed parenting courses, worked with a parent aide, and participated in a drug treatment program. “She worked hard,” Thomas says. “She definitely wanted her children back and she wasn’t going to let anything stand in her way, even with all the hoops she had to jump through and all the mountains she had to climb.” All three children were able to reunite with their mother. “She did an outstanding job, and it was an admirable ending to the case.” 

Thomas’s understanding and love of children are what really shone through on this case (he himself is a father of four, and in addition to his work as a CASA, he serves as grandpa-nanny to two of his grandchildren). Likely due to the abuse they had experienced, the children were initially very wary of new people. However, through his patience and consistency, Thomas allowed the children to become comfortable around him. “When I met with the children, I made sure I never caused them distress or harm. I would always play a game with them, or color, or work on a jigsaw puzzle together.” 

By the close of the case, the warming effect that Thomas had cultivated was unmistakable. Since he had built a positive relationship with the mother, they planned a final visit so he could say goodbye to the children. “I found myself with a little boy clinging to each leg, and the little girl was hugging me around the waist — and I had been a total stranger to them just a year before. That’s enough to bring a tear to my eye; it’s a moment that will always stay in my mind. Just to have those little children showing that trust, and concern, and care. I’d like to think a bond had been created. I left on a melancholy but happy note.” 

Although there is a need for advocates statewide, Thomas, a lifelong resident of northern New Hampshire, hopes to raise awareness of the need for CASA volunteers in the North Country. “There are children up here who suffer just as much from abuse as the ones in Manchester, Nashua, Keene, and Rochester,” he explains. “I hope that people in my community will see my story and say ‘If Tom can do it, I can too.’ If I can be a posterchild, then that would be a great joy to me. I’m not looking for anything for myself, but these children deserve an advocate.”  

We can’t thank Thomas enough for his care, concern, and dedication to children in need of advocacy.

If you would like to become a CASA volunteer advocate and help children, consider attending an upcoming virtual information session to learn more, or submit an application today. 

After retiring early, Kathleen Bernstein knew she still had more to give the world. Having “spent enough time making rich companies richer,” as she puts it, Kathleen decided to donate the rest of her working career away. She and her husband adopted their own two children, who are now grown, when they were six-and-a-half and almost five years old. By stepping forward to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate, Kathleen works directly to help other children either be reunited with their parents or have a smooth transition to adoption.

Kathleen isn’t one of the longest tenured volunteers at CASA of New Hampshire. But looking at the considerable list of children she’s advocated for in her three years as a CASA—11 children from six families—that’s hard to believe. The need for more CASA volunteers is immense, and it’s tough for Kathleen to turn down a case knowing it could mean leaving a child without anyone solely dedicated to looking out for them and their wellbeing.

Kathleen remarks, “If I had to do it all over again I would. I would definitely go through the training. I think I get more than I give to my kids. I’m proud when they sing in their high school concerts, and when they introduce me around. It will be the volunteer option I will do until I can’t do it any longer. Although maybe I won’t take on four cases at once like I have now!”

On one of her current cases, Kathleen is the advocate for a youth who has been in the protective system a number of years. Originally, the child had a male CASA, but as she got older it was agreed that she could benefit from the support of a female CASA. “She was a teenager when I started working with her,” says Kathleen, “and I assumed that I would be with her until she was 18 to 21.” This is because sadly, the adoption rate for teens is much lower than for younger children. “She’s had a rough life. But through some additional efforts it now looks like she’s going to be adopted soon. When we all got on the conference call and got to tell her that we’d found the family for her, we were all crying.”

“It’s worth the effort,” Kathleen says. “It’s worth the time you put into it, as little or as much as you can put into it. If you can only take one case, once case is still good. One case is one child or a few siblings that you can help show that somebody else cares.” She continues, “They’re hard cases, they’re really hard cases, but then it’s all worthwhile when you get a child reunited with their parents or adopted, especially if they are in their teens. She and her success make the hard days worth it. Now she has a very loving family.”

Many CASAs have their niche—an age range or set of family dynamics or circumstances where they excel and find particular gratification. Volunteers are encouraged to accept cases that are the right fit for them. While Kathleen has advocated for children of all ages (like the four-year-old with whom, she says, “we play tag until my feet can’t take anymore”), it’s working with teens that she finds most rewarding.

“With the teenagers, sometimes it’s challenging getting them to talk and open up. A six-year-old will tell you anything. But with a teenager you get a lot of ‘It’s OK. Yeah, I’m good.’ It’s challenging to build that relationship, so that they trust you and they know that you’re going to be there. But it’s the most rewarding when they finally say, ‘OK, this is what I want…’”

Kathleen builds these relationships by pointing out to her teens that CASAs are volunteers. For instance, she says, “When I explain that I can’t take them anywhere in my car because I’m a volunteer they say, ‘You’re a volunteer? Why would you do this?’ And I tell them it’s because I like young adults, and being able to be the one person who comes and talks to them. Sometimes we’re the one person in their lives who isn’t paid to be there. The older ones are a little more jaded. They see a lot of therapists and social workers, but I’m just there because I want to be there.”

Kathleen admits that it’s not always easy being a CASA. She explains, “There are nights where I lose sleep over what I’m going to say, or what I’m going to do—for example, when I’m fighting for a child’s right to stay in their school district when there are financial decisions that counteract what is in their best interest. But I believe I’m making a difference, even if it’s only one child, one year, one life at a time.”

One child, one year, one life at a time. Kathleen’s words are humble, but in her case, this can be multiplied by 11. In the history of CASA of NH, it’s over 10,000 children. 10,000 lives. But Kathleen’s message is clear: even if it was only one, all her effort, even the difficult moments, would still be worth it.

Kathleen has given so much, and she has also gained some. “I think I look at the world a little differently in some ways. Moms have it hard, dads have it hard, and the world’s not making it any easier. But I think I try to be a little bit more compassionate, a little bit more understanding. When I’m in the grocery store and there’s a mom struggling with two small children I tell her, ‘It gets better, it’ll get easier’ and ask if she’d like help loading her bags into the car, or something like that.” Add that to the long list of ways Kathleen is making a difference in the lives of children and families

If you would like to become a CASA volunteer advocate and help children, consider attending an upcoming virtual information session to learn more, or submit an application today. 

This summer, Lakes Region real estate agent Shawn Bailey will celebrate his 17th year volunteering with Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, of New Hampshire. The circumstances that trigger the need for CASA volunteers, child abuse and neglect, are certainly not happy ones; but when you look at Shawn’s work, you’ll discover that there’s also much to celebrate.

When a case opens, it is because a child has suffered or been endangered due to their parents’ actions or struggles. What these children have endured is often heartbreaking, and sometimes unimaginable. But the point where a CASA is assigned to them is the time when things can begin to get better. With the right support and resources families can work toward reunifying stronger than they were before. If this isn’t possible, a path to adoption or another permanency option can be laid, often with a family the child has been with for a while and who they know and trust.

During Shawn’s time as a CASA, he has served 24 children from 15 families. He has seen stories of hope play out. Stories that he helped write. Stories that are cause for celebration.

Two in particular stand out to Shawn. “I had a case with a toddler,” he says. “The parents were fairly non-compliant with what the court asked of them, until the father went to prison. At that point, mom turned things around. She completed a drug treatment program, was able to reunify with the child, and they are still doing fantastic. I get to see her out and about from time to time and she’s a sweetheart — she’s a really good person. She’s a totally different person than I knew when she was using substances. In some of the cases the parents succeed, and that’s a great thing.”

The second case began when a woman experiencing abdominal pain went to the hospital. It turned out she was in labor — she hadn’t even known she was pregnant. The mother had been using substances for about five years. “Mom went right into a program when she got out of the hospital, and is now sober. She still has a way to go,” Shawn says, “but we’re hopeful.”

For Shawn and many other CASAs, the most meaningful part of a case comes at the one-year mark with the judge’s permanency decision. “In my experience, the children are very happy that they’re either reunifying or they’re going to be adopted. Permanency is a very happy time,” Shawn says.

If the walls of the CASA office could suddenly speak, permanency might be their first word. The Juvenile Law Center describes it this way: “Simply put, ‘permanency’ means family. It means having positive, healthy, nurturing relationships with adults who provide emotional, financial, moral, educational, and other kinds of support as youth mature into adults. Ideally, permanency takes the form of a relationship that has a legal component that provides a parent-child relationship. [It’s having a] family and support system that both lifts [the child] up and cushions them if they fall.”

Ultimately, this is what Shawn and other CASA volunteers are working toward — a permanent home where their case children can thrive. It’s work that Shawn finds incredibly satisfying. “It’s rewarding to get to know the children and help them through the hard times they’re going through. It’s amazing to see how resilient they are. Boy, if someone loves them and gives them some structure and stability, they latch right onto that, because they really have been ‘set aside,’ so to speak, because their parents are in trouble. We strive for a positive outcome for the child.” With his perseverance and dedication, Shawn has helped bring about many positive outcomes for children.

Shawn has found that his role as a CASA fits in well with his work as a real estate agent. CASAs dedicate about 10–15 hours a month to their volunteer work. This includes time spent meeting with their case child, talking with parents and other important adults in the child’s life, and presenting the vital information they gather in a written court report. Four to five times a year the CASA speaks in court to help the judge assess the progress of the case. Shawn says it isn’t difficult for him to plan his work schedule around his volunteer commitments, and vice versa.

Shawn’s commitment to children extends beyond his CASA role. He and his wife Jennifer are key supporters of the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, which raises funds for local organizations that assist children (including CASA of NH). Over the years, Shawn has pitched in answering phones during the live auction, participating on a Challenge Team, and organizing toy drives. “I have a soft spot for children, pets and senior citizens, but children the most,” Shawn says. For children in hard places, that soft spot in Shawn’s heart has made a world of difference.

If you would like to become a CASA volunteer, consider attending an upcoming virtual information session to learn more, or submit an application today. 

Over the course of her 12-year service at Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Hampshire, Alison Lawrence has gained a bit of a reputation. She’s even earned herself a nickname: The Finisher. And while this all sounds quite ominous, it’s actually much the opposite.

One of the first things you’d notice when meeting Alison is that, judging by her accent, she’s not from “around here.” In 2001, Alison and her family moved from England to New England when her husband accepted a job in New Hampshire. Since she came to the states on his work visa, Alison wasn’t allowed to obtain paid employment herself. She had been an elementary school teacher in London, so she began volunteering at her children’s school. She continued to look for volunteer opportunities and when she discovered CASA, Alison felt like it was a perfect fit.

Alison has worked on a wide array of cases. She has seen children adopted and she’s seen families reunified. She’s had cases where she and DCYF were in agreement, and others where the facts led her to a different conclusion.

In one case, Alison believed that reunification was safe and possible when DCYF felt otherwise. Ultimately the judge agreed with Alison and the family was reunified. “That was hard,” Alison says. “It felt really difficult to be in opposition to DCYF, but it was hugely satisfying to think how hard we worked to get that little girl to go home, which was not going to happen otherwise. It was really wonderful for the judge to listen and to make you feel like your thoughts matter.”

The value judges place on the CASA’s insight is one constant Alison has experienced throughout her cases. “I’ve had the judge lean across the bench to me and say, ‘So come on Alison, what do you think?’ And that’s because very often you are the one who sees that family the most. You do have a closer point of contact.” By working on only one or two cases at a time, the CASA is able to get to know the child themselves, the parents, and the various issues, needs, and family dynamics at play more acutely than perhaps anyone else working on that case. They pick up on things others might miss and they see the continuum of whether parents are making the necessary progress.

Alison says adoptions are “absolutely adorable and the most beautiful thing you’ll ever get see.” As the advocate for infant twins who were taken into care immediately from the hospital, Alison was there to see their adoption.

Sadly, Alison reports she’s witnessed a rise in the number of cases involving infants due to the opioid crises. More babies are being born substance-exposed to parents who are unable to care for them due in large part to their substance misuse. “People often say to me, ‘Oh, I don’t know how you could do that work, it would break my heart, it’s so sad.’ But I think it’s the complete opposite! It’s not sad at all. We all know these terrible things go on, but let’s make the best of what is happening. Let’s try to improve it! I saw two children get adopted into a family where they mean the world. Can you give me a better example of something with a more phenomenal outcome?”

Teenagers, on the other hand, pose their own set of hurdles. “My very first case was probably the most challenging. It was an older youth who had so many opinions on what he thought was best. When you’re in a bad situation you lash out at everybody. But as crazy as it is, I feel like sometimes I have the worst relationship with a teenager, yet they contact me when they need someone. You realize that they don’t see me as the enemy, they actually see me as being quite supportive of them.”

It’s through some of these cases and others like them that Alison earned her CASA moniker, The Finisher. As Alison attests, “if you call me and you’re in a pinch, I’ll say yes.” Once CASA staff discovered this, along with her ability to always stay neutral and to see the big picture, Alison’s phone began ringing with requests for her to step in when other CASAs had to leave a case. Alison would see these cases through to the end, ensuring each child continued to receive the attention and support that a CASA provides.

To those wondering how a CASA even begins a case, Alison advises, “Just be you. Treat this as if you weren’t doing it in a legal way, and you’re actually just a friend of the family. If you had just met somebody, what would you say to them? Just remember you’re talking to another human, and all the other stuff will come in time. It absolutely is a whole new world, and you’re learning on your feet. You’ll get there, and you’ll always have the support of people around you within the organization.”

One could spend a lifetime doing this work and still encounter new things. Having worked with 17 children on 13 different cases, Alison hasn’t “seen it all,” but her experience is considerable. So, it’s significant that she emphatically (and frequently) encourages others to consider becoming a CASA. “When people say they’ve thought about doing this, but it would be too sad, it would break their heart, I ask them, ‘is it better for you to deal with that, or for it not to be dealt with at all?’ I tell them they will be fine, and that they will have cases that are so heartwarming it will balance it all out. Yes, these are difficult situations, but we’re always aiming to get the best outcome.”

For some lucky and deserving children, The Finisher was on the job to help them reach their best outcome. For others, it could be you.

If you would like to become a CASA volunteer, consider attending an upcoming virtual information session to learn more, or submit an application today.