Tiffany has been a CASA volunteer since 2019. Throughout her career, she has worked in the public school district with special needs students. Tiffany first heard about CASA through her daughter who works at a drug court office. Her passion for helping children is what led her to begin volunteering for CASA. “I thought volunteering would be a great fit, and I was right,” says Tiffany. She was assigned her first case in August of 2019. Tiffany shared a special bond with both her CASA child and the mother. She explained that the mother’s hard work and dedication to the best interest of the child is what led reunification to occur in January of 2020. CASA mentorship and resources were a big help in this process. What surprised Tiffany most about being a volunteer is the strong bond that occurs between advocate, child, and sometimes a parent. The child’s mother was extremely grateful to Tiffany and CASA for support and guidance during the process.
Tiffany shared that the most challenging part of being a CASA volunteer is time management. She experienced this struggle with her first case, as her CASA child lived in another county. So, Tiffany had the opportunity to get creative to see her weekly. Tiffany said her child was placed in a “wonderful, small school district” that worked so well with Tiffany because “they truly have a heart for their students”. She described what makes CASA so wonderful is the training that is involved with the program. “It truly prepares a volunteer to be the best advocate and resource for the CASA child,” says Tiffany. During her training, she was surrounded by dedicated and loving volunteers, all hoping to change a child’s life. The trainees had a group text to encourage and support one another when it came to writing court reports or seeing one another on important court dates.
The decision to be a part of such an inspirational organization is made from the act of kindness and love. Tiffany encourages anyone thinking about becoming an advocate to lead with your heart. An open and loving heart for children is needed. “It is wonderful for the children and parents, but for the volunteer, it is life-changing,” says Tiffany. If you are interested in becoming an advocate for abused and neglected children, please visit www.casaoflafayettecounty.com for more information on how to get involved. Thank you to our passionate advocates for spreading their love and light to others. A special thank you to Tiffany Babb for giving us an inside look at what being an advocate is like.