FROM THE HEART: The Privilege of Guiding Future Advocates for a Child

My Honor to Train 126 CASAs…and counting...
Being the Lead Facilitator for the training of future CASA Volunteer Advocates is one of the biggest honors of my life. In 2019, I can recall going through the class myself as a participant. It was an intense experience – truly – and that is by design. To be a CASA, participants must complete a minimum of six hours per week of course material and homework over six weeks. In addition, CASAs-in-training are required to observe ten hours of juvenile court proceedings and write two mock court reports. To the surprise of many, the commitment and attention required is like taking on a part time job! 
 
Over the past two years, I’ve facilitated seven of these training classes and have watched with pride as 126 new CASAs were now ready to serve Savannah/Chatham County’s children in foster care. This is a communal accomplishment as each session is facilitated by not only me, but also by our dedicated and expert Advocacy Coordinators.  I hold deep admiration for each and every community volunteer who sets so much time aside from their busy lives to make a difference in the life of a child with their newly acquired skills. Knowing that this is just the beginning of their journey with CASA makes it all the more special.

Eric at training with CASA volunteer and staff

Shutdown! We Switch to Online 
Like everyone else, the pandemic drove us out of our brick and mortar classrooms and into the virtual world.  For the last year, I’ve facilitated our CASA Pre-Service Training with a completely new way of learning core content and interacting as a group. Initially, this was a challenging and confusing endeavor, but ultimately, it proved to be just the kind of engaging social interaction many of us were needing at the time.  Similar to me, many of the trainees were working from home. We looked forward to our time together on Zoom each week. 
 
The online training provided the flexibility to help us recruit volunteers who may not have otherwise been able to participate due to their work schedules, lack of child care, health concerns, etc.  Checking in with each other in “class” and interacting over the Internet for homework helped us maintain our sense of belonging to a community.  In fact, our very first self-proclaimed “COVID Class” created a private group on Facebook to stay connected!
 
My story wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention that switching to online training did block some older, deeply experienced participants.  With regret, I recall a woman with a Ph.D. in Education coupled with decades of experience working in the NYC school system and now newly retired to Savannah.  She felt uncomfortable with the online process and, sadly, we lost her contribution as a future CASA. 

Last in-person swear-in before COVID-19

No Small Gesture – To Change a Child’s Story
No two CASA volunteers are the same and, as a result, each training class is a unique mixture of personalities, as well. In each of our classes, 15 to 20 adults come together and engage in very introspective work which results in fresh perspectives and discussions. Our volunteers come from all walks of life; doctors, dock workers, educators, retired military, students, stay-at-home parents, etc. each bringing to our discussion their own lived experiences.  And each share a deep motivation to help a vulnerable child.
 
For me, CASA is all about making a connection with the child and respecting the humanity of the families that we serve. CASA volunteers bring this sense of community and connectedness into the courtroom and throughout the child’s life in foster care with both small gestures of kindness and notable actions of advocacy.  Our CASA Volunteers are on-hand to positively change a child’s story.  As a CASA staff who helps launch their volunteer work, I am deeply honored to contribute to their success.  ​

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR - ERIC  HORNFELD

​Eric Hornfeld joined the CASA team in February of 2019 and currently serves as the Pre-Service Training Facilitator. In this role, he facilitates all pre-service training for new CASA volunteers. Eric settled into Savannah in 2017 after moving from his home state of Florida. Eric is a proud cat dad to two furballs, Pepsi & Peaches, and husband to Ryan who teaches Chemistry at GS-Armstrong. When not working with our CASA-Volunteers-In-Training, Eric enjoys tending to his office plants, practicing mindfulness, and going camping. Eric graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Sociology. Currently, he is pursuing a master's degree in Leadership from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he also works.