Daisy
Daisy is one example of how transformation takes place because of nurturing, love and guidance. Daisy was physically abused by her mother. Her family has a long-standing history of domestic violence, substance abuse and physical abuse. Daisy was also molested by her father. The mother’s whereabouts have been unknown and Daisy’s father lives out of state. Shortly after Daisy and her younger siblings were removed from the home, the siblings were placed with relatives in
Ohio,
close to the father, which left her with no one.
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Anya was assigned to advocate for Daisy, and immediately, the two hit it off. Initially, Daisy presented as a self-conscious, somewhat awkward teenager, who felt the weight of her family’s plight on her shoulders. Daisy had always been the caretaker for her siblings, and was deeply worried about them because they were so far away. Anya wasted no time in asserting Daisy’s need to see her siblings and after many months of advocacy and a compelling court report, funding was authorized for Daisy to fly to Ohio in order to see her siblings. Daisy returned to
San Diego
satisfied and at peace, because she knew that her siblings were safe and in good hands.
Another pressing issue for Daisy was her bout with chronic jaw pain and the need for orthodontia. Daisy was denied for orthodontia services nearly two years ago, and since then, Anya has been unwavering in her commitment to get appropriate services for Daisy in motion. Appealing denied services through Medi-Cal is an arduous, painstaking and extremely frustrating process; however, Anya has remained undaunted!
When she was initially assigned to the case, Anya observed that Daisy was a very bright, sweet and conscientious young lady, but was plagued by low self-esteem. With the help of Anya’s nurturance, care, and love for Daisy, Daisy began to believe in her abilities and talents. Eventually, Daisy agreed to be a speaker on the Voices for Children Real Word Panel, where she shares her experiences as a foster child with audiences large and small. We have seen Daisy transform over the past two years, and her confidence has soared as she conquers one huge achievement after another. Their love and respect for one another is so evident and palpable. A success story, indeed.
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David
David now has hope because of a compassionate heart. David is the oldest of three siblings. The children were repeatedly exposed to domestic violence by their mother’s boyfriend, physically abused and exposed to drug use. David has been in nine placements in the past seven years, and he was not allowed to visit or have contact with his siblings. David became very depressed when he saw his siblings featured as an adoption story on television; he was failing in school and his group home director had given up on him. David was all alone, with no one to call or visit him.
Amy was appointed as David’s Educational Surrogate in 2005, and she has been a ray of hope in David’s life. For once in his life, David had a stable adult who believed and cared about him. Amy drove David to school every morning which provided a good opportunity to speak with him daily, and he was very happy attending his local public middle school. When David’s school wanted to place him in a non public school, Amy made sure he would be able to stay at his current school with additional services. Amy is a wonderful example of how a listening ear, consistent visitation and a heart of compassion can offer hope and inspiration to a child’s life.
Dante
Sometimes it takes a convertible to break the ice. At eight years old, Dante was homeless and not going to school. His mother had just given birth to her 6th child. Her toxicology screening came back positive for cocaine, and all of her children were removed from her care and placed in foster care. Dante is now 15 years old. He has moved eleven times since entering the foster care system. Anger and depression have led him to destructive behaviors, causing foster parent after foster parent to give up on him. However, his current foster parents have kept him for over two years. His behavior has improved, and Dante is doing better in school.
Dante was assigned a Court Appointed Special Monitor (CA
SM)
, Andrea, in March 2006. Andrea believes that if it weren’t for her convertible car, she wouldn’t have been able to get Dante to go out with her at first. After just four months with Andrea visiting him weekly, Dante now looks forward to hanging out with Andrea, in addition to riding in her car. He has especially enjoyed showing her old pictures of and letters from his biological family. Although Dante was very emotionally close to his parents, he hadn’t had contact with them for several years before Andrea was assigned to his case. Andrea made a point to contact them right away, and unfortunately learned that his mother has renal failure and will probably not get the kidney transplant that could save her life. Andrea sent the family a disposable camera for them to take current pictures for Dante to add to his precious album. Andrea is also helping to make arrangements for Dante to take a trip to
Colorado
for a much desired visit. Andrea has made a commitment to stick with Dante for the next three years, until her turns 18, but realizes that she will probably be in his life even longer. She will help him through some very tough times, and hopefully also celebrate some very good times as he enters a new chapter of his life.
Jonathan
For Jonathan persistence paid off. On
July 26, 1989
, eight month old Jonathan became a dependent of the Court when it was learned that his parents had severely injured his brother. He has been in foster care ever since. Jonathan has a low intelligence, is autistic and has behavioral and psychological issues. As a result, Jonathan’s life has included adoptive homes, foster homes and group homes so numerous that it is nearly impossible to sort them out. By age 15, he was in a group home, failing miserably in school and using drugs, with no real plan for what was going to happen when he turned 18 and aged out of the system. It looked like he would turn into another dual diagnosed homeless street person. He needed help.
Jonathan got a CASA. She understood autism and Jonathan became her special project. She knew he couldn’t make it in adulthood on his own. Jonathan had been turned down for services from the
San Diego
Regional
Center
because his IQ was just two points over their entry level. The CASA set to work on getting that decision turned around. For more than two years she worked with mental health professionals, social workers and every one she could enlist to get the diagnosis needed to get Jonathan accepted for services. Just five months before his eighteenth birthday Jonathan was accepted by
San Diego
Regional
Center
which will be providing him with a full range of services, including living arrangements into his adult life. It would not have happened without the tireless efforts of his CASA. She would not take no for an answer and as a result Jonathan will have a life after foster care.
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