“Every day, I long for the family I never knew.”

This was the powerful sentiment that a Loveland resident recently expressed to Annette Hoyt, our Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator. Annette met her while she was speaking with donors about our Un-Gala 2014 Auction. When she found out more about our program, she shared her own experiences as a foster child.

She told Annette about that she was a foster child and no longer had contact with her biological family after entering the system. She was adopted, but it was not a successful adoption and she no longer speaks to her adopted family.

“I wish I had someone like a CASA,” she told Annette. She wished someone had advocated for her best interests. She wished that someone had been there to see if there were family members out there with whom she could connect. The lack of connection still leaves her longing for people she never knew.

Our advocates understand how important it is to find a permanent home and maintain healthy connections. They care about children in the foster care system and the adults they become. At the Harmony House, staff members maintain a safe and comforting environment in which children can make memories with non-custodial family members. For this reason, we know that CASA truly is a powerful voice in a child’s life.