Amorita has been a CASA since September 2018 and is on her second assignment. Amorita is advocating for a nine-year-old girl (Elly) who came into care when she called the police to report that her mom was driving drunk. Amorita is a fun and energetic young woman and is a great match for this feisty little girl!

At the beginning of this school year, Elly was placed in the fourth grade but was performing at third grade level. Her school did an assessment and identified a Specific Learning Disability, but Elly’s mom refused to sign the plan. After several meetings with no progress,
Amorita stated that she was concerned that if the proper interventions were not started, Elly would fall further behind. She worked with the Social Worker to file a request with the court to transfer Elly’s educational rights to her, and Elly has made a lot of progress with the help of her teacher, her foster family and her CASA.

As a Psych Tech at Atascadero State Hospital, Amorita’s job is designated as “essential”, and she and her coworkers have been busy working to prevent a Covid-19 outbreak at the facility. But Amorita has found time every week to meet with Elly on Facetime, where they play games, color and talk about the past, the present, and the future. In April, Amorita dropped off an Easter basket for Elly with a note reminding her that she is so very special and how honored she is to be her CASA.

About being a CASA, Amorita says: “I love being a CASA to work with children and be the light they need during their transitions. Both of my cases have been so rewarding. Being a CASA is better than I even imagined.”