Once a child in foster care... now a CASA volunteer
Mackenzie first met a tall man who would become her CASA volunteer when she was just five years old, living in the small town of North Pole, Alaska.
When Mackenzie’s world was big and confusing due to her parents’ court hearings, her CASA was the one adult who made the world feel less uncertain and scary.
Years later and many miles from her Alaskan home, Mackenzie was studying communications at TCU and decided to join a sorority. She came across Kappa Alpha Theta and saw they support and fundraise for CASA of Tarrant County – a TCU Theta tradition since 1989. Once Mackenzie heard “CASA,” she knew she found her home on campus.
Today Mackenzie works within the legal system and is a CASA volunteer for three siblings, ranging from 3-13 years old. Because of generous support from donors like you, Mackenzie advocates for these siblings’ best interests and visits the children every month, listening to their fears and helping them feel brave. She helps the siblings’ grandparents navigate their new world of caring for three energetic kids by sharing resources like books and podcasts, and she advocates to teachers to address the kids’ reading challenges.
“The growth that they’ve had in a matter of months has been phenomenal,” says Mackenzie. “A little girl who barely talked to me the first time I met her is now so excited to see me. She runs up and wants to show me everything that’s going on in her little world.”
Because of your kindness, advocates like Mackenzie can provide lasting, life-changing support to families in crisis. Your compassion has already made a lasting impact on Mackenzie and the children she advocates for, and today, there is a child on our waiting list who needs you. A child like Mackenzie who is waiting for the tall grownup to visit her and help her feel brave.
Without generous support from donors, CASA cannot recruit, train, and match volunteers like Mackenzie to children on our waiting list. That child on our waiting list needs you to give them an advocate who will ensure their voice is heard in and out of the courtroom.
You and your generosity inspire us to continue to provide a village of support for all children in Tarrant County who find themselves in the foster care system.
Thank you—for every child’s life you have already impacted with your advocacy, and every life that continues to be transformed by your compassion.