Kris Borowsky loves children. When she and her husband first moved to Davis in 2001, she was doing communications consulting for a benefits consulting firm. But shortly after, she found her calling at Swim America in Davis. “I started teaching swimming lessons at Swim America, and then put my communications background to work as the marketing director. The rest is history.”
With two of her kids in college and one finishing up high school, Kris recently found herself searching for a meaningful way to give back to the community. “I’ve done a lot of volunteer work through school and sports activities, but this time I wanted to broaden my efforts.”
Kris knew about Yolo County CASA from many different sources but also knows Program Manager Jen Danzer. “Whenever Jen talked about exactly what Yolo County CASA does, it just made so much sense.”
Kris finished her training this past spring and has been a CASA volunteer to a preteen girl for a few months. “It really strikes me how she is always so positive and appreciative of our visits, which really stands out at her age. She comes from a very large family, so just having individual attention is new for her. In fact, on our first visit she told me she had been waiting all day to meet me. It was very touching and showed me right there how much kids in the dependency system need CASA volunteers.”
“During one visit, my CASA child asked me if I wanted to meet her Dad. When I said, ‘of course,’ she said ‘good, now he can meet the famous person.’ I expressed surprise at being considered “famous,” and she said ‘well, you are to me.’ I was so moved by that comment… it sounded so beyond her years, and again, I was grateful to have made a difference for her in such a relatively short time.”
With a shortage of foster families in Yolo County, many of the 600+ children in the Yolo County Dependency System are placed in homes outside the county. Kris drives 45 minutes each way to visit her CASA child and often has time to reflect on those drives, “Being a CASA is so tangible. I take her to get an ice cream cone and immediately there is a connection and shared experience with a child who really needs it. I get instant feedback, and I am grateful to have found this way to volunteer my time.”
