St. Joseph County severely lacks volunteer child advocates. Four shared why they serve.

SOUTH BEND — Sue Schneider drove three hours to visit one of the first kids she was assigned to help as a volunteer advocate for abused or neglected children.

When Schneider got there, the young girl refused to speak with her. She shut the door in Schneider's face.

But their relationship through St. Joseph County's Court Appointed Special Advocates program continued for years, as the child weathered the vicissitudes of court hearings and interactions with the Department of Child Services and, at bottom, her family trauma. Schneider stayed involved, tasked with becoming somewhat of an expert on the child and advocating for her as a neutral third party. Gradually, they built a rapport.

A volunteer advocate for about a decade now, Schneider witnessed this child's growth over an unusually long period. Recently, she brought the girl to a social situation as part of the program. A relative stranger among the crowd, Schneider stood by as the kid who had shut her out years before courteously directed her to a row of seats where familiar faces awaited her.

"We came full circle, from the child refusing to speak to me to the child now taking care of me to make sure I was comfortable in the situation that I brought them to," Schneider, who's 74, recalled in a recent interview. "So that shows, to me, a lot of growth, and despite terrible, terrible situations, the child is growing, the child is maturing and the child is coming into their own."

Schneider is one of several Court Appointed Special Advocates who spoke with The Tribune this month to share the difficulties and joys of their roles amid a serious shortage of volunteers in St. Joseph County, where nearly 220 children await an advocate in the juvenile court system.

Leaders of the CASA program say they're about 100 volunteers short of clearing the waitlist — almost equal to the number of current volunteers, which is about 120. A six-week session in June, with classes two days a week, aims to train CASA volunteers who on average contribute 10-15 hours a month.

Indiana law requires courts to appoint a CASA or a guardian ad litem in cases where a child is deemed in need of services, which means they're victims of abuse or neglect in cases investigated by the Department of Child Services.

Brenda Matuszkiewicz, executive director of the CASA program, said volunteers are trained to understand how trauma affects children. Assigned to cases by the courts, they get to know kids by spending time with them and their service providers, teachers and social workers. They write reports that offer probate court judges a comprehensive look at a child's life. They encourage services that strengthen children's relationships with their parents and promote healing.

"I would say the No. 1 thing that a CASA brings to the table is they have a dedication and focus strictly for that child," Matuszkiewicz said. "They're going learn about the case completely, but their heart is for the child and what their best interests are. And I think that, unfortunately, a lot of other agencies don't really get to spend the time and the energy getting to know a child like a CASA can."

Amanda Buchholz, a recruiter and trainer for the CASA program, said there's a stigma attached to volunteers because of the misperception that they're trying to strip kids away from their parents. Out of 350 cases closed by CASA in 2023, she said, children in 250 of them were reunified with their families.

"What a lot of people don't realize is the whole point of all of this is to try to give (parents) services so that they can be better educated," Buccholz said. "There's a lot of cycles of abuse, generational abuse. A lot of parents out there don't know what’s the right way to be loved."

Though The Tribune spoke with four retirees, all in their 70s, who have worked with CASA for about a decade, anyone over 21 can apply. No special training is needed, but program leaders will try to place people in cases where their expertise may be useful.

This summer's training starts June 18. Over six weeks, volunteers must participate in 11 three-hour classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon at the St. Joseph County Juvenile Justice Center. There's no class on July 4.

For more information about becoming a volunteer, email casa@jjconline.org or call 574-235-5375. Apply to volunteer on the program's website at www.sjccasa.org.

Why St. Joseph County CASA volunteers continue to serve

Tom Brown, 79, said he raised three daughters during his six decades living in South Bend. An accountant by trade, his most important role was to be the father who showed up to his children's sporting events and participated in their school activities.

Over 10 years as a CASA volunteer, he's met dozens of children whose parents either cannot or will not do the same. He tries to fill some semblance of that role, since CASA volunteers must meet with children once a month. One child he's currently advocating for takes swimming lessons. When Brown shows up, they rush out of the pool and, still soaking wet, jump in his lap.

“I always try to get my children, especially the very young ones, to know my name, ..." Brown said of the children he helps. "I usually will kneel down with little children when I'm talking to them so that they see me on their level. It’s a matter of them knowing who I am and that I’m there to be maybe the only friend they have, at that point.”

Don and Pam Wycliff, a married couple in their late 70s, generally work on cases in tandem. A retired newspaper journalist, Don writes the reports for each case. Pam, a gregarious longtime nurse, attempts to sway judges with her suggestions during hearings.

They've worked difficult cases in which parents seemed to genuinely care about their children but, because they were mired in poverty, couldn't provide their kids with safe housing or quality education. In a certain way, Don said, it can feel like "you're minding somebody else's business."

“Virtually by definition, when a kid is in the system, something has gone wrong in the parent’s perception of what's needed for the job," Don told The Tribune. "And somebody else with a clearer vision has to come along. In one particular case of ours, it was a large family and at the end of the thing, the parents said, 'This has really been helpful to us, going through this process, because we learned a lot of stuff that we didn't appreciate earlier.'"

Don said he joined the program because raising his two sons, who are now in their 30s, is the most fulfilling thing he ever did. In the first case the Wycliffs got, a young girl needed someone to accompany her to a father-daughter dance. Her dad was in jail for severely wounding a sibling, the Wycliffs said.

Don wore his best suit and took her to the dance.

Brown, who has closed nearly 70 cases during his decade as a volunteer, said he feels as though he's changing the world one child at a time.

And if not him, he asks, then who?

"A lot of people, when I say that I’m a CASA, the usual thing that I hear is, 'Oh, I couldn’t do that. That would be too hard,'" Pam Wycliff said. "And I always respond: I couldn’t not do it. It’s just very important for kids to have the opportunity to grow, and if I can help with that, I will."

Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: How to become a St. Joseph County Court Appointed Special Advocate