Originally published in Northeast Georgia CASA’s E-Newsletter, December 2019

A couple of years after retiring from the Fulton County School Board, Linda Schultz was considering volunteer opportunities in her community. Having served in a policy role for much of her later career, she missed connecting and engaging with children directly. She also realized the value of investing in children. The CASA mission was a natural fit and she has been an incredible protective resource for children in foster care since completing her training in the Spring of 2018.

Linda is nearing her two year anniversary as a child advocate and is still speaking up for the three girls that were appointed to her in March of 2018. It has not been an easy case. The girls had been removed from their home and placed in foster care because of parental substance abuse, but as the case progressed, numerous allegations and suspicions of abuse arose. Such cases can evoke a powerful emotional response, making it hard to stay focused on the "child's best interest." But Linda respectfully and diligently brings to the forefront of the court's attention the needs of the children. In maelstroms of debate about the parents and the services that should be provided to them, Linda has kept her focus on the children. She has ensured that medical needs were attended to for one of the girls who was suffering from an eye condition. If the procedure had not been done, the child could have lost the use of her eye. Despite significant trauma suffered by the girls, no counseling was being offered to them due to a shortage of services available. Linda's detailed report to the judge, which included a recommendation for counseling and trauma services, prompted the court to order that these services be put into place. Linda gives volume to what the girls feel and say. She always reminds everyone involved with the case how much the children love their mother, and because of that she has been a proponent of ensuring that visitation occur whenever safely possible.

Throughout this case Linda has been a steady voice of reason among the tensions of a family unraveling. Getting children what they need is the most important part of any case. Linda stays abreast of the current events of the children's lives, and does an excellent job keeping the many agencies and parties involved with these siblings aware of what they need. Northeast Georgia CASA is glad that Linda is among the ranks of our dedicated volunteers and thanks her for changing the story of these three girls.

Update as of Spring 2020 - After two years, efforts by the parents to provide a safe, stable home stagnated. Linda urged the court to consider adoption for the girls. The case is moving in that direction now, and the father has terminated his rights. The girls are doing well and healing through their trauma counseling.