Story of Hope: Cynthia
July Advocate Impact Story
Written By: Cynthia's Advocate Supervisor
While Cynthia was serving in the military, she was introduced to CASA, and that initial encounter made a lasting impression on her. She was certain she would become a CASA advocate one day. So it was no surprise that earlier this year, on February 14, she was sworn-in as a CASA advocate and shortly after, was assigned to her first CASA case.
Cynthia immediately signed onto the case and introduced herself to all parties involved, and also participated in family group conferences. The two children, Bruce, 6 months old, and Dakota, 3 years old, were living in a shelter with their mother after having just been returned to her custody at their court hearing. Although, the mother had been permitted to have the children returned to her, the case remained open and the state still had temporary custody of the children.
When it came time to reach out to the mother and children, Cynthia obtained the proper clearance through the shelter where they were staying. At this time, the mother shared that she was unable to get baby formula, and that she was giving Bruce regular milk. Cynthia assisted the mother in making a WIC appointment and was diligent in her follow-up, calling and texting the mother to remind her of this appointment, but the mother did not keep the appointment.
Cynthia began to notice a pattern of missed appointments like this. The mother scheduled, then rescheduled, and then missed the children’s appointments, alongside many of the services outlined in her service plan. The mother kept expressing that she was too busy helping a friend, or that she forgot, or was too tired to attend her appointments. This was a red flag for Cynthia, so she expressed her concern to the CPS caseworker. She soon after followed up with the shelter, and found out that the mother was in violation of curfews, was not meeting with the shelter’s case manager, not attending required programs, and had not been informing the caseworker of the children’s whereabouts. Doing her due diligence, Cynthia voiced concerns that the placement may need to change.
In the midst of this new development, the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread, but that didn’t stop Cynthia from serving these children. She ordered educational toys through Amazon to help engage the children during quarantine, and continued to track the mother’s progress. The mother still wasn’t participating in services, and jeopardized the shelter placement by testing positive for drug use. Cynthia, again, voiced her concerns, this time to the caseworker and the children’s ad litem. An emergency hearing was held in April, wherein the kids were removed from their mother and placed with relatives. The kids are currently thriving in that placement.
During this time, Cynthia has continued to serve Bruce and Dakota with supplies through porch drop-offs, helped locate a much needed crib for Bruce, and often chatted by video with the children. She has been exemplary on this case, and is much appreciated for all her hard work.
Help us provide more Advocates like Cynthia who are willing to go above and beyond even in the midst of crisis to provide a voice for children in foster care.
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In September 2024, the department first became involved with a family of five following allegations of substance abuse and medical neglect concerning the mother. Child Protective Investigations (CPI) initially sought to keep the family together by implementing a safety plan with fictive kin—a family the mother and children had met during their stay at Haven for Hope. The hope was that this new placement would provide stability for the children while keeping them safely with someone familiar. For a few weeks, it seemed to be working. But on October 29, 2024, the mother told the fictive kin she was going to retrieve her remaining belongings from Haven for Hope—and never returned. From November 2024 through February 2025, CPS continued its efforts to locate her while supporting the kinship placement and meeting the children’s needs. In January 2025, the kinship placement informed the department that she could no longer care for the youngest child, Ava, due to her severe behavioral needs. Faced with these challenges, the department made the difficult decision to file for removal to provide more comprehensive support for the children and the kinship caregivers. Ava was quickly placed in a foster home in February 2025, while her three brothers remained with fictive kin. Around this time, CASA Staff Advocate JoAnn Herring was assigned to the case. By April 2025, safety concerns prompted the immediate removal of the boys. They were placed in an emergency shelter while the department and JoAnn worked tirelessly to explore placing them with their sister in her foster home. Caring for four children is a big ask, especially for new foster parents, but with support from JoAnn and the department, the foster family rose to the challenge. By May 2025, all four siblings were finally reunited under one roof—a first major victory for this family. Even with the siblings together, challenges remained. The children had significant medical and educational needs. Michael, who had experienced medical neglect while in his mother’s care, was diagnosed with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, requiring frequent doctor visits, hospital stays, and surgery. During these times, JoAnn visited the hospital regularly, offering support and encouragement to both Michael and his foster parents. JoAnn also worked closely with the department and foster family to ensure the other children—Ava, Mateo, and Leo—received the therapeutic and educational support they needed. Through Collaborative Family Engagement meetings, the team created a comprehensive plan addressing the children’s medical, educational, and therapeutic needs, with the goal of preventing placement disruption and ensuring the foster parents felt supported. Today, all four children are enrolled in school with 504 plans in place, and Michael has access to wrap-around medical services—another major triumph. The foster parents now feel confident in their ability to meet the children’s needs, and if the parents remain disengaged, the case may ultimately move toward termination. While that possibility is heartbreaking, the family has a permanent, loving home ready to care for them. Michael, though still facing significant medical challenges, has a strong team advocating for him every step of the way. This story is still unfolding, but it highlights the power of teamwork, advocacy, and dedication in helping children find stability, care, and hope. It’s a reminder of what can be achieved when community, department staff, and CASA advocates go above and beyond to support children and families in need.
Sol Arena Russo
