Emilie has been a CASA since early 2019 and is supporting a teenage boy. After hearing about CASA, she thought it was something she could do with her many years of experience coaching children and youth in soccer, basketball, horseback riding and having raised her own children.

Emilie’s assignment got off to a slow start when she had difficulty getting Nick to meet with her. She refused to be offended by his lack of interest in a CASA. She persisted and discovered that if she picked him up after school, saving him a bus ride home, and added something to eat to the mix -- he was interested.

Emilie really enjoys being a CASA. She acknowledges that supporting a teenager requires a “thick skin” and can be challenging as they often don’t want to admit that they need help with anything. So Emilie has had to be a “pest” at times helping Nick stay on top of expectations from his school and everyday life.  

Emilie holds education rights for Nick. Attending IEP meetings and being his contact for school has allowed her to make sure he is not falling through the cracks and gets the help he needs with school. She made sure he had the chrome book his school distributed when students moved to distance learning and was able to order, pick up and deliver his free school lunches, each week, to ensure he would have enough to eat. When Nick was misinformed about the Coronavirus and afraid to go outside, Emilie convinced him that his favorite activity, skateboarding, was healthy exercise.  Thank you Emilie!!