Advocate Impact: Greg Bowman
June Story of Hope
Written By: Cristal Olivera, Greg's Advocate Supervisor
When it was time for him to be discharged, she stated that she could no longer handle his behavior and wanted CPS to take custody.
Greg Bowman has been an Advocate with CASA since July of 2018 and Jason’s case is the first he has been assigned to. When I first met Greg, I noticed immediately his easy-going personality and his great sense of humor. It was obvious that he was going to be a valuable addition to CASA. I showed Jason’s case to Greg and he chose it without hesitation, realizing right away that this is a child that needed to have someone on his side. The first thing Greg did was set up a home visit to meet Jason and within a week, he had visited Jason twice in the foster home and also took him out to San Antonio Threads so that Jason could pick out some new clothes. Greg reached out to all of the parties involved, including Jason’s adoptive mother who made it very clear that she no longer wanted to be involved with Jason and that her intention was to relinquish her rights. Although Jason was not made aware of this right away, he was showing signs that he was upset and confused, wondering why he was not having visits or hearing from his mom. When his mom relinquished her rights at the 60 day status hearing, Greg was very concerned about Jason and how this would impact him. He was involved in discussions with the therapist and caseworker to determine the best way to break the news to Jason.
Once his mom relinquished her rights, Greg knew that it was imperative for Jason to maintain contact with the only other family that he had, his sister. Greg reached out to Jason’s sister’s CPS caseworker to inquire about sibling visits. His sister had previously been removed from the same adoptive home and was placed at a residential treatment center in Houston. In January of this year, Greg took Jason to Houston so that he could have a visit with his sister at the zoo. When Greg found out that Jason was very behind in reading, he advocated in his court report for Jason to get a tutor and Judge Garcia agreed this was important and recommended that the CPS caseworker request tutoring through the PMC court liaison. Greg was persistent in following up with the caseworker and PMC court liaison to ensure that the tutoring service began and continued. Greg recently met with the school to review Jason’s academic progress and Jason’s reading level has significantly improved since the beginning of the year, thanks to the tutoring and Greg who strongly advocated for it. Greg wanted to get Jason involved in an extra-curricular activity, knowing that it would be a good way to relieve stress and also improve his self-esteem. Greg was able to connect Jason with a YMCA basketball league and then helped out the foster parents by taking Jason weekly to most of his practices and games.
When Greg found out that Jason was very behind in reading, he advocated in his court report for Jason to get a tutor and Judge Garcia agreed this was important...
One of the most vital duties of our Advocates is to help find permanency. Jason is currently in a foster home, but because they are not interested in adoption, the search for his next forever family continues. As soon as the legal case was transferred to the adoption unit, Greg began asking about when Jason would be put on Texas Adoption Resource Exchange (TARE) and reminded the caseworker about it until it was done. Jason was fortunate enough to be chosen to be featured in KSAT’s “Hope for A Home” segment which was aired in April. (This can be viewed at https://www.ksat.com/news/hope-for-a-home-meet-jason ) Greg helped with this process, coordinating with other agencies involved and taking Jason to the preliminary meetings. Greg also accompanied Jason when he had the opportunity to tour the Ken5 news station and meet some of the news anchors.
Greg has been a constant support for Jason in these past nine months and he has demonstrated that Jason can count on him for anything he needs. Although the road to finding permanency for Jason may be long, he is very fortunate to have Greg by his side, always believing in him and reminding him to never give up hope.
A Message from Child Advocates San Antonio on National CASA/GAL Funding Termination On April 24, 2025, the National CASA/GAL Association announced that its federal funding through the U.S. Department of Justice has been terminated. As a result, National CASA is suspending subaward disbursements, training programs, and technical assistance. The organization is actively appealing the decision and assessing what services it can continue to provide during this transition. Info from National CASA can be found here. We understand that this announcement may raise concerns in the community, and we want to provide reassurance and clarity regarding how this news affects Child Advocates San Antonio. First and foremost: There is no impact to our organization or our services. We are fully operational and remain committed to serving the children and families in our community with the same excellence, integrity, compassion, and commitment we have always shown. Here are key facts we want our supporters and the public to know: Our funding remains secure. Child Advocates San Antonio has a diverse and stable funding base that includes a healthy mix of public and private funding. No one funding stream exceeds 50% of our budget. You can access our recent financials HERE. Our stability comes from strong state support and our dedicated Bexar County community, which keeps Child Advocates San Antonio resilient and focused on serving children. We do not receive subawards from National CASA. The suspension of subaward disbursements has no bearing on our funding or ability to operate. Our training programs continue without interruption. Our comprehensive and high-quality Advocate training programs are fully intact. We do not require technical assistance from National CASA. Our team is experienced, well-resourced, and prepared to continue all programming. No cuts, no hiring freezes, no changes to our operations. We remain fully staffed and actively engaged in our mission to advocate for children in foster care. Our commitment to advocating for children in foster care is unwavering, and our services continue as usual. We want to be clear: Child Advocates San Antonio is strong, stable, and here to stay. CASA programs in Texas are strong, independent, and fully committed to children in foster care. While we’re aware of the situation with National CASA/GAL, it doesn’t impact the critical advocacy happening here. Our commitment is clear: we will stand with the children we serve—until they are safe, their voices are heard, and their futures are secure. Our focus, as always, is on advocating for the best interests of children and ensuring they have a voice in court. Public support at all levels, including individuals, ensures we remain strong, regardless of national developments. No matter what, our mission stays the same – every child deserves to be safe, cared for, and have their voice heard. CASA’s mission is as important as ever— children in foster care need advocates who will stand by them. Start your Advocate Journey today!
Brittany Coppage
