SHE TAKES TIME TO THROW
TEA PARTIES FOR CHILDREN IN
FOSTER CARE, TRAVELS COUNTLESS
MILES TO VISIT CHILDREN IN GROUP
HOME SETTING, PLAYS NERF
FOOTBALL WITH KIDS AND EVEN
HELPS THEM WITH THEIR HOMEWORK.
SHE IS A COURT-APPOINTED CHILD
ADVOCATE NAMED GRACE
MARVUGLIO-TELFER, WHO JOINS US
ALONG WITH NORFOLK CASA CEO
ROXIE HOVEN TO SHARE DETAILS OF
HOW TO BECOME A CASA VOLUNTEER.
THE TWO OF YOU ARE VERY POWERFUL
IN WHAT YOU CAN PROVIDE TO THE
COMMUNITY.
THE PEOPLE MAY HAVE HEARD OF IT,
THEY'RE NOT REALLY SURE WHAT IT
IS, OR THEY KNOW WHAT IT IS BUT
THEY'D LIKE TO LEARN MORE AND
THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO FIND THAT
OUT AS VIEWERS ARE.
SO PLEASE TELL ME A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT NORFOLK CASA AND WHAT IT
IS AND WHAT IT DOES FOR THE
COMMUNITY.
>> THANK YOU, JAN.
THANKS FOR HAVING US HERE AND
ESPECIALLY FOR HAVING GRACE SIT
BESIDE ME BECAUSE SHE REALLY
EMBODIES WHAT CASA IS.
CASA IS A VERY SMALL NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION WITH A MIGHTY
HEART.
WE ACTUALLY TRAIN, WE RECRUIT,
TRAIN AND PLACE COMMUNITY
VOLUNTEERS TO ADVOCATE FOR
CHILDREN WHO ARE IN FOSTER CARE
OR WHO ARE IN KINSHIP PLACEMENT
BECAUSE OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT,
AND SO IT IS A COURT-ORDERED
SPECIAL ADVOCATE.
THAT'S WHAT CASA STANDS FOR,
COURT-ORDERED SPECIAL ADVOCATE,
AND SO THE JUDGES OF THE FOURTH
DISTRICT, JUVENILE, DOMESTIC AND
RELATIONS, WILL ACTUALLY ORDER
ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS ON TO A
CASE, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S A HARD
CASE OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT.
SOMETIMES IT WILL BE A CUSTODY
CASE IF THERE'S SPECIAL
CIRCUMSTANCES.
IT'S MAINLY ABUSE AND NEGLECT
CASES.
THEY WILL ORDER ONE OF OUR
VOLUNTEERS, AND THEN ONE OF OUR
WELL-TRAINED, 40 HOURS BEFORE
YOU EVEN GET STARTED, TRAINED
VOLUNTEERS WILL BE PLACED WITH A
KID OR A SIBLING GROUP AND THEY
WILL STAY WITH THEM UNTIL THEY
HAVE A SAFE HOME, A PERMANENT
HOME, THAT THEY HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO FEEL SAFE AND
THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO
THRIVE, AND SO THEY BUILD
BRIDGES WITH THEM.
THEY BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH
THEM.
BUT NOT JUST ARE THEY THERE TO
BE A SUPPORT SYSTEM AND AN
ADVOCATE AND A LISTENING EAR,
BUT THEY ALSO INVESTIGATE THEIR
CASE, MONITOR THEIR CASE, AND
REPORT BACK TO THE JUDGE WHAT
THEY THINK IS THE BESS INTERESTS
FOR THAT CHILD.
-- BEST INTERESTS FOR THAT
CHILD, SO THERE'S A VOICE TO THE
JUDGE RIGHT FROM YOUR VOLUNTEER,
IF YOU HAVE THAT KID, YOU HAVE A
VOLUNTEER THAT WILL GO BACK AND
TELL THAT JUDGE WHAT YOUR STORY
IS AND THAT'S POWERFUL.
>> Jan: YES IT IS, AND WE WERE
TALKING WITH JOHN MURRAY OF
FAMILIES FIRST OF VIRGINIA JUST
A FEW MINUTES EARLIER WHO TALKED
ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
RELATIONSHIPS AND HOW THAT
REALLY IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.
AS A CASA VOLUNTEER, YOU ARE --
THIS IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS AND
IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU
ESTABLISH THAT BOND WITH THE
CHILD, SO THE CHILD UNDERSTANDS,
AND THAT CAN HELP MAKE THEM
THRIVE IN A WAY THAT THEY
PERHAPS HAVEN'T BEEN.
>> RIGHT.
>> Jan: SO YOU ARE AN IMPORTANT
PART OF THAT WHOLE RELATIONSHIP
CONTINUUM, AS IT WERE, TO USE
THE VERNACULAR.
>> YES.
>> Jan: SO WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
I JUST READ SUCH GREAT THINGS
ABOUT YOU AND CLEARLY YOU ARE
DEVOTED TO DOING WHAT YOU DO.
YOUR BACKGROUND KIND OF AT LEAST
HELPS YOU, SETS YOU UP A LITTLE
BIT FOR BEING AROUND KIDS, DID
IT NOT?
>> I WAS RAISED IN PHILADELPHIA
IN THE INNER CITY WITH NINE
BROTHERS AND SISTERS, AND AT
THAT TIME, MY PARENTS ALWAYS HAD
AN EXTRA KID THEY WERE HELPING,
A WAYWARD TEEN OR A RUNAWAY, SO
I RAISED ALL MY FIVE DAUGHTERS,
ALL ADULTS NOW, SO WHEN I HAD A
LITTLE EXTRA TIME IN MY LIFE, I
SAID WHERE CAN I PUT THAT TIME,
AND I RESEARCHED AND FOUND OUT
ABOUT CASA.
BUT I ACTUALLY LEARNED -- I
THOUGHT I KNEW IT ALL, BEING A
MOM OF FIVE, BUT THESE KIDS,
CHILDREN, THEIR RESILIENCY,
THEIR STRENGTHS AND COURAGE HAS
BLOWN ME AWAY.
AND I TRY TO TELL THEM -- THEY
SAY MISS GRACE, WHAT ARE YOU
AGAIN, CASA?
AND I JUST LET THEM KNOW, I'M
YOUR VOICE IN COURT, SO I HAVE
TO HAVE THAT TRUST WITH THEM,
AND WITH CASA, WE DON'T REALLY
TAKE THE CHILDREN OUT OF WHERE
THEY'RE AT.
ONE GIRL WANTED ME TO TAKE HER
OUT TO TEA AND I KNEW I COULDN'T
DO THAT, SO THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT
A TEA PARTY TO HER, AND SHE
OPENED UP A LOT IN THIS LITTLE
TEA PARTY, TOLD ME THINGS I
NEEDED TO KNOW AND WE REPORTED
TO THE JUDGE.
AND THEY FEEL GOOD KNOWING WITH
ALL THE ADULTS IN THEIR LIFE,
THEY'RE HEARING -- EVERYBODY IS
ASKING THEM QUESTIONS, THEY'RE
BEING DRILLED, AND FOR THEM,
THEY LOVE KNOWING THEY HAVE
THEIR VOICE THROUGH CASA TO THE
JUDGE, AND FOR ME, IT'S ACTUALLY
BEEN A BLESSING BECAUSE I LEARN
FROM THEM TOO.
>> Jan: I BET YOU HAVE.
AS YOU SAID, YOU HAD FIVE
DAUGHTERS, BUT YOU HAD NO IDEA.
>> WHAT THEY'VE GONE THROUGH,
YEAH, AND WHAT A BETTER PLACE TO
DEVOTE YOUR TIME -- I CAN'T
THINK OF A CRIME WORSE THAN
AGAINST A CHILD.
AND THESE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN
THROUGH A LOT, BUT THEY'RE
RESILIENCE, LIKE I SAID, BRAVE,
COURAGEOUS, JUST WONDERFUL.
>> Jan: AND BELIEVING THAT ABOUT
A CHILD IS CERTAINLY TRANSMITTED
TO THEM IN SO MANY WAYS, ISN'T
IT?
ROXIE, TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER,
IT'S NOT, AGAIN, LIKE WITH
FOSTER PARENTING, YOU DON'T JUST
PICK UP THE PHONE AND SAY THAT'S
WHAT I WANT TO DO.
THERE'S TRAINING INVOLVED IN
THIS AND INTENSIVE SUPPORT AND
THE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
ROLE IS OF THE CASA.
>> YES, IT'S VERY INTENSIVE.
OFTENTIMES PEOPLE WILL THINK
THAT WE'RE JUST -- NOT "JUST,"
BECAUSE MENTORING PROGRAMS ARE
MAITIONZ, BUT THAT'S THE --
AMAZING, BUT THAT'S THE ONLY
PART, YOU BUILD A RELATIONSHIP
WITH A CHILD, BUT THERE'S A LOT
OF WORK, COURT APPEARANCES,
PAPERWORK, BUT IF YOU MAKE A
FIRST CALL AND SAY, WOW, I SAW
THIS ON TV AND I'M INTERESTED,
WE'LL SCHEDULE A TELEPHONE
INTERVIEW WITH YOU AND THEN
WE'LL DO AN IN-PERSON INTERVIEW
WITH YOU AND YOU'LL DO AN
APPLICATION AND AN ESSAY, AND
THEN THERE'S THE FINGERPRINTING
AND THE BACKGROUND CHECKS
BECAUSE ANYTIME YOU WORK WITH
KIDS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A
PLETHORA OF BACKGROUND CHECKS
FOR YOU TO DO, AND THEN WE START
TRAINING.
OUR TRAINING AS FLEX LEARNING,
SO IT'S 15 HOURS ONLINE, REALLY
NEAT ONLINE COURSE THAT HAS COME
OUT OF NATIONAL CASA THAT WE'VE
END BRACED AND THEN -- EMBRACED,
AND THEN 15 HOURS IN THE
CLASSROOM AND THAT'S 30 HOURS.
SO THERE'S TEN HOURS ACTUALLY IN
THE COURTROOMS OBSERVING THE
JUDGES, THE FIVE JUDGES OF THE
FOURTH DISTRICT AT JD&R, SO
THERE'S 40 HOURS ALTOGETHER AND
THE CHIEF JUDGE WILL SWEAR YOU
IN, SO YOU TAKE AN OATH AS THE
END OF YOUR TRAINING AND YOU
BECOME A COURT-APPOINTED SPECIAL
ADVOCATE AND ONCE THAT HAPPENS,
AFTER YOUR FIRST YEAR, YOU STILL
HAVE 12 HOURS OF CONTINUOUS
EDUCATION CREDITS YOU HAVE TO
ACQUIRE EACH ONGOING YEAR AFTER
THAT.
YOU HAVE TO BE 21 YEARS OR
OLDER.
YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TRANSPORT
YOURSELF AROUND BECAUSE,
UNFORTUNATELY, SOME OF OUR KIDS
AREN'T IN TOWN.
YOU KNOW, GRACE DRIVES TO
RICHMOND AND ALL DIFFERENT
PLACES TO CHECK ON HER CHILDREN.
SOME OF THEM ARE HERE IN TOWN,
BUT SOME OF THEM AREN'T.
SOME OF THEM ARE IN BEHAVIORAL
HEALTHCARE CENTERS, GROUP HOMES.
IT'S NOT CUT AND DRY, BUT WE
REALLY WORK TO MATCH THE RIGHT
VOLUNTEER WITH THE RIGHT CHILD
SO THAT IT WORKS FOR EVERYBODY.
BUT IT IS A COMMITMENT.
IT'S NOT JUST A TIME COMMITMENT,
BUT IT'S A COMMITMENT OF THE
HEART.
IT'S ABOUT 10, 15 HOURS A MONTH
OF JUST REALLY VISITING THEM AT
LEAST TWICE A MONTH, THEN
CHECKING IN WITH THEIR SOCIAL
WORKERS AND SUCH, SO IT'S A
WRAPAROUND, WRAP YOUR ARMS
AROUND, STAND UP FOR THIS CHILD
AND LET THEIR VOICE BE HEARD,
KIND OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY.
>> WHAT'S BEEN HELPFUL TO ME,
JAN, IS WE HAVE MONTHLY CASA
MEETINGS WHERE I MET AND LEARN
FROM THE OTHER CASA VOLUNTEERS
WHO I TOTALLY RESPECT AND I
LEARN FROM THEM.
WE ALL HELP EACH OTHER OUT.
WE DON'T EXACTLY MENTION THE
NAMES OF OUR CHILDREN, BUT HOW
DID THIS WORK FOR YOU WHEN YOU
WERE TRYING TO DO THAT, SO THE
MONTHLY MEETINGS AND OUR CASA
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR IS
WONDERFUL AND YOU CAN ALWAYS
CALL HER OR ROXIE, ANYBODY
THAT'S THINKING OF VOLUNTEERING.
YOU'RE NOT ALONE.
WE HAVE REAL GOOD SUPPORT.
ROXIE HAS BEEN IN HOW MANY
YEARS?
>> WELL, IN HUMAN SERVICES FOR A
FEW DECADES.
>> A LONG TIME.
WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD SUPPORT
SYSTEM WITH NATALIA AND ROXIE
AND ALL THE VOLUNTEERS.
>> Jan: AN INCREDIBLY STRONG
NETWORK OF PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN
WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
>> WE JUST HAD SERGEANT MARCUS
THERE OF SPECIAL CRIMES UNIT OF
NORFOLK POLICE DEPARTMENT.
HE WAS WITH US TWO WEEKS AGO AND
WAS EYE-OPENING, SPENT HOURS
WITH OUR VOLUNTEERS HELPING THEM
UNDERSTAND THAT PROCESS, SO
WE'RE ALWAYS INTERCONNECTING
WITH DIFFERENT AGENCIES AND
ORGANIZATIONS AROUND KIDS.
>> Jan: GOOD.
EVERYBODY IS LEARNING FROM
EVERYBODY ELSE AND KIDS BENEFIT.
THAT'S TREMENDOUS.
I WANT TO POINT OUT ONE MORE
TIME, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN
LEARNING MORE, TO CALL CASA,
NORFOLK CASA AT 664-7651.
THEY ALSO HAVE A WEBSITE YOU CAN
GO TO AND GET MORE INFORMATION.
I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU HOW
YOU CAN CONTACT GRACE BECAUSE
SHE'S NOT GOING TO BE AROUND
BECAUSE SHE'S TOO BUSY DOING
STUFF!
BUT THANK YOU FOR COMING IN AND
TO SHARE, I KNOW IT'S JUST
SCRATCHING THE SURFACE ABOUT
WHAT IT IS YOU DO AND WHAT
MOTIVATES YOU IS QUITE CLEAR AND
THAT JUST SHOWS IN EVERYTHING
YOU SAY.
>> THANK YOU.
>> SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND ROXIE, ALWAYS WONDERFUL TO
SEE YOU.
>> ALWAYS WONDERFUL TO BE HERE.
>> AND FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU
DO.
>> THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH A
GREAT CHILD ADVOCATE.
>> Jan: THANK YOU.
THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.
IT'S THE KIDS.
THANKS A LOT.
>>> WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH
NEWS OF AN EXPANDED MEAL PROGRAM
FOR SENIORS IN NORFOLK THAT
INCLUDES MORE THAN FOOD.
