The CASA Connection

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CASA volunteer, Kathleen, champions Boston Children's Hospital grant for CASA Project Worcester County

I was recently awarded for my work with CASA Project Worcester County with the Employee Community Volunteer Award, sponsored by Boston Children’s Hospital’s (BCH) Office of Community Health. I was honored to be recognized alongside other awardees who work at BCH and volunteer with organizations near and dear to their hearts. Each volunteer’s organization was gifted $5,000, spreading the BCH Office of Community Health’s mission to support programs across Massachusetts that improve the lives of children and families.

I have worked for BCH since 2014. Currently, I work in the Pawprints Program, which coordinates therapy-dog visitation. Prior to this change, most of my career there had been spent in more administrative- and IT-type roles. I appreciated that I could support the hospital’s mission with my behind-the-scenes skills, but the desire to have a more direct and positive impact on children and families led me to CASA. I’d wanted to volunteer in that space for a long time, but as someone who works full time and has a variable “extracurricular” schedule, I didn’t qualify for the many positions that, understandably, required their volunteers to be present at the same time and place every single week. But I remembered my friend, Macy, had volunteered in the past with her local CASA program in Texas, and Macy is the biggest extrovert I know, so she always has plans. I phoned her to ask about it, and she told me about how rewarding and flexible the experience had been, and believed I would feel the same. I applied to CASA in 2022 and now am serving on my fourth case.

It’s a great privilege to know that I can have a real impact on children’s court cases, to ensure that what’s in their best interest is presented to the judge, and I’m grateful to families for opening their homes to me and trusting me enough to be vulnerable. But the most fun experience is getting to “shop” for them when CASA collects donations for their back-to-school and holiday drives – I love getting to know the interests of the children on my cases, and picking out the perfect gifts for them, curated to meet their wants and hopes.

I’m so happy that I could champion this $5,000 for CASA, and that BCH supports their mission too. Having advocated on children’s behalf for everything from more secure windows to improved family relations, I know I’ve made a difference, and being able to confidently say that is a great feeling. Since only about a third of children on Department of Children and Families (DCF) cases receive a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Worcester County, I hope that the money can go toward recruiting more CASA volunteers. Every child deserves to have someone stand up for them, and I’m very proud to be one of those someones.

The Employee Community Volunteer Awards recognizes Boston Children’s employees for their role as volunteers with community organizations in their communities. The Office of Community Health received many applications for this award and six employees were selected. This is an annual award opportunity for Boston Children’s employees. The community organizations are all supporting children and families in the New England area. The community organizations receive $5,000.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen Hong has dedicated a decade of service to Boston Children’s Hospital, where she spent most of her tenure in IT roles. She recently transitioned to her current role as the Pawprints Program Coordinator at the Hale Family Center for Families in 2023. In addition to her professional role, she became a trained Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer in 2022. Since beginning her journey with CASA Project Worcester County, she has worked alongside Advocate Supervisor, Theodette Gasasira, on each of her four cases. In the 2.5 years as a volunteer advocate, Kathleen has worked with nine youth, including her current case where she is advocating for the best interests of one child in the foster care system. Kathleen’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable youth in her community made her a valuable candidate for the Employee Community Volunteer Award, and CASA is incredibly grateful for her advocacy and partnership, and is honored to be the chosen nonprofit receiving the $5,000 grant.