Shortly after Georgia was appointed as a CASA in October of 2019, she was assigned to a case involving a 9 year old transgender female. The child has been in BCDHHS custody since July of 2016 when she and her older brother were abandoned by their mother. They were literally left at a public library. Parents rights were eventually terminated and the child's older brother has since aged out of the system.

In the time Georgia has been this young girl’s CASA, the child has been moved at least 10 times with 5 stints in four different foster homes and a 9 month stint in a residential care facility for autistic children out of state, during which time Georgia logged 90 phone calls and video chats.

For the last 5 months the child has remained in an emergency ward of a local hospital because the Dept was not able to find any other placement for her. Georgia visited the child weekly as she was not permitted to leave the facility. Georgia has been integral to the child's receiving appropriate therapy to address the complexity of her care needs. She has been very instrumental in ensuring the child's medical needs are being met. And, she has also managed the child's IEP.

For the past 7 months, Georgia has attended weekly "Creative Solutions" meetings with professionals involved in the child's care that has ultimately led to the child being accepted into a highly specialized residential psychiatric treatment facility that will effectively meet the child’s special needs.

Georgia has remained the most consistent adult engaged in this child's life. We thank Georgia for demonstrating through her actions how a CASA's presence and engagement providing loving support to a child can enable them to overcome the obstacles they've had to endure and step confidently towards a positive future despite them.

Congratulations Georgia on being our February CASA Volunteer of the Month!