Christina Horne studied early childhood development in college and has worked as a nanny and preschool teacher in the past. Initially, she heard about Yolo County CASA through her work as an office manager at Brooks’ Painting. “I saw that Brooks’ Painting supports Yolo County CASA financially and learned more about the organization. I missed working with children and thought that it would be wonderful to become a CASA volunteer someday.”
She began following the organization closely and was inspired by the “Hearts of Yolo” stories she read. “I thought, ‘What am I waiting for?’ and applied for the training last summer.”
Christina has been with her CASA child, an eight-year-old boy, since she finished the training. When she first met him, she’ll never forget his first question. He said, “Am I the only one?” When Christina confirmed that he was her only CASA child, he said, “Wow, I’m lucky.” Christina states, “He had been in the system for less than a year at that point and in that moment it really hit me how quickly he had become accustomed to being one of many.”
At that same meeting, she asked him three things she should know about him. As one of the things, he said, “I am an awesome kid.” Christina goes on to say, “I’ll never forget those words because I hope he always feels that way. I never want his life situation to wear down his confidence. He’s an eight-year-old boy so he doesn’t talk about his feelings that much, but whenever he says something positive about himself, I make sure to reaffirm it. I also remind him as much as possible that he is ‘awesome.’ Every kid deserves to be as confident as possible.”
As for the advocacy side, Christina is struck by her instrumental role as a CASA volunteer. “The social workers handle the basics but the extras, like parent-teacher conferences, counseling, and needs that go beyond the essentials are often forgotten. I am truly the only person advocating for them, which really drives home the importance of CASA volunteers.”
She continues, “My CASA child has had a fairly smooth ride as far as placements go. I’ve heard stories where things are much worse. However, he still deserves a CASA volunteer. This experience has really driven the point home for me that ALL foster children need CASA volunteers. I am really excited about Yolo County CASA’s goal to eventually provide a CASA volunteer for every foster child in Yolo County.”
Thank you, Christina, for your amazing work as a CASA volunteer and for stepping forward to help us achieve our goal.
