Purposeful Perspectives: Fourth of July

This Fourth of July marks the 250^th anniversary of the founding of America in 1776. For anyone who has been out and about recently, you’ve likely seen lots of décor to celebrate the Fourth of July and our nation’s anniversary.

For me, the Fourth of July means it is truly summer, which is my favorite season even with the heat and humidity. Living in Georgia my entire life, I remember childhood summers staying cool at the pool or running through the yard sprinklers, going inside for a break from the heat, then going back outside until dark and watching the lightning bugs and listening to the cicadas as nighttime began.

These relaxing summers offered a true break – family vacations, lots of outside time, the library’s summer reading program, no school, homemade ice cream, the freshest peaches, and staying up late. My childhood summers are a favorite part of my memories.

As an adult, I still prefer to take vacation time in the summer, spend time outside enjoying hobbies such as biking, hiking, and kayaking, find the juiciest, freshest peaches, and hang up my hammock to read a good book while a few clouds float by in an endless blue sky.

As I reflect on summertime, I am reminded that many children in foster care may not have fond summer memories. However, with a CASA volunteer advocating for their best interests, they have so much more potential to create favorable memories going forward.

In 1874, nearly 100 years after our nation’s founding, the first instance of child abuse/neglect was thoroughly documented in America (the Mary Ellen Wilson case), leading to the creation of the first child protection agency. Fast forward to 1982, and the CASA program was founded in Seattle, WA, by a juvenile court judge who needed more information about the children in the courtroom to make sound decisions about their futures. And in 1988, the CASA program was started in Georgia and the Northeastern Judicial Circuit (Hall and Dawson counties) was served by the first CASA volunteers in 1989.

Over thirty-five years after Georgia CASA’s founding, all 159 counties are now served by CASA programs. Currently about half of the children in foster care in the state benefit from a CASA volunteer, so there is still plenty of potential for growth.

Would you take a moment to consider if you, or someone you know, might be a good fit for the CASA volunteer opportunity? More information is available on our website. As a CASA volunteer, you can be someone who positively impacts children in foster care so one day they can look back on childhood memories that include carefree summers of fun.

As an organization dedicated to supporting children and families in crisis, we recognize that holidays can be a delicate and nuanced time for many. In this series, Purposeful Perspectives, we asked our staff and board members to select a season, month, or day that is meaningful to them to share with our CASA community. Thank you for joining us as we take a deeper look behind the celebrations that fill our lives.