Hometown Hero:
CASA Volunteer Steven Betchner
By Renee Bunting
After successful careers with WaWa, Steven and Kathleen Betchner moved to Ocean City and looked forward to having their children and grandchildren visit them during their retirement. While they enjoyed having visits with family members during the beautiful summer months, they began looking for volunteer opportunities. It was Kathleen who first suggested that they look into volunteering for CASA.
“My wife thought it might be something we could do together,” said Steven. “We attended the orientation, and Kathleen felt it wasn’t the right fit for her at that time. I thought it was a good fit for me and hoped I could make an impact as a CASA.” Steven also said his own experience of having someone close to him who suffered from addiction that impacted children persuaded him that his personal insights and skills as a program manager would be helpful in the role as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). His hunch proved true. Steven worked first with an older child who aged out of the system but with whom he still stays in touch.
As a CASA, Steven uses his ability to address complex issues, manage timelines and build relationships with people to seek the best possible solutions for these children. Yet he acknowledges sometimes it is difficult work, “Over the course of a single case, we can work with several different case managers, judges or attorneys, and we are often the only stability a child has during this period of uncertainty.” In his view, giving a child stability makes the work worthwhile.
Steven’s current work with a five-year-old boy, Adam, has given him satisfaction on many levels. When he walks into the room and sees the child smile at his arrival, he knows he has made a meaningful connection. Steven recalled one time that Adam was sad to see him leave during a regular visit. Steven explained that he had to go home to cook his wife dinner. “At the next visit, Adam suggested that if I taught my wife to cook her own dinner, I could visit longer,” he said.
Steven enjoys the personal connections that build trust with a child. Ultimately, he hopes his ability to leverage relationships can positively influence finding the best possible situation for each child for whom he advocates. His influence has expanded recently by becoming a Peer Coach for three new CASAs. As a peer coach, he helps the novice CASA’s find the resources they need as they approach their new roles. “With our CASA Volunteer Coordinator, me, as the peer coach, and the CASAs, we have a whole team of people working for the best interests of the children.” And that is a recipe for making an impact in the lives of children.
What is CASA?
Court-appointed special advocate (CASA) volunteers make a life-changing difference for children who have experienced abuse or neglect.
Each volunteer is appointed by a judge to advocate for a child’s best interest in court. Our volunteers help judges develop a fuller picture of each child’s life. Their advocacy enables judges to make the most well-
Why is CASA Needed?
When a child is removed from their home due to abuse or neglect, many people enter their lives – case workers, judges and lawyers. But at the center of the whole foster care system is a child, a child whose future outcomes will be determined by what happens during the months and years that they may spend in foster care and what actions are taken on their behalf. Hopefully, that child is assigned a CASA advocate, an individual whose sole purpose is to be the eyes and ears of the family court judge, who writes reports and makes recommendations based on observations and interactions with the child and their family.
By speaking for the child, the CASA advocate ensures that the best services and resources are provided, not only to the child, but to the entire family, and that the child is either reunited with their family, adopted or placed with relatives as quickly as possible.
The CASA Solution
Our solution to this injustice begins with a single volunteer. The volunteer is a Court Appointed Special Advocate – a CASA volunteer. He or she is trained to understand the sensitive circumstances of a child living in foster care. The advocate is trained to listen to the child and all those involved in what can often be very complicated cases. An advocate is trained to report their observations and make recommendations to the family court judge.
CASA volunteers ensure that the best interests of our children are a priority and are met through well-researched, comprehensive court reports. They make recommendations that affect the medical, educational and psychological well-being of each child. They are a consistent voice that speaks only on the child’s behalf. We are proud to say that family court judges order these recommendations an impressive 93% of the time. Most importantly, it demonstrates the value our advocates bring to each case and each child.
Our volunteers spend an average of eight to 10 hours per month working on their case, either visiting their child, or others involved in the case, going to court proceedings or writing court reports. They remain on a case until a permanent home is established – typically 18 to 24 months. Often, the CASA volunteer is the only consistent adult in the child’s life who is there to champion their needs, rights and be their voice in court.
For more information go to atlanticcapecasa.org or call 609 601 7800.
