About CASA Heroes
Selecting CASA Heroes is always a difficult task. Every CASA volunteer is a hero to an abused and neglected child. All Payne County CASA volunteers do so much just by opening their hearts and donating their time to advocate for children in Payne County.CASA Heroes - August 2006
This quarter CASA volunteer team Helen Barker and Tina Schmidt stood out amongst the CASA volunteer group.
Helen Barker is a teacher at Perkins –Tryon School. Helen has three grown children and loves spending time with her grandchildren. Helen also volunteers at Stillwater Medical Center every other weekend and is an active member of Sunnybrook Christian Church.
Tina Schmidt is a Realtor with Gregg Pickens Real Estate. Tina and her husband, Curt, have two children that keep them busy with sports and other activities. Tina also attends Sunnybrook Christian Church, serves on various Board of Realtor committees, and is a Stillwater Golden Eagles Banquet Committee member as well as a member of the Stillwater Middle School PTA.
Tina and Helen have been CASA volunteers for a little over a year. They are best friends that work together as a team on the same case with the same family. Their different schedules would not allow Tina and Helen to be CASA volunteers individually so they work as CASAs together so they are able to volunteer. Tina and Helen are currently working together on their second case. Tina and Helen have advocated for the best interest of 10 kids through the Payne County CASA program thus far. Tina and Helen were assigned to a case that entailed advocating for more than five children at once so it was the perfect case for them to tackle as a team. When the CASA office made a request for a volunteer to take this complex case with multiple children Tina and Helen did not hesitate to answer the call even though they knew it would be a big commitment and a lot of work.
To add to the complexity of the case some of the children moved making them only accessible by phone which did not make communication easy. Fortunately, Helen had more free time during the summer so she was able to keep in close contact with the family. Helen spent countless hours on the phone, making long distance calls, speaking with various family members, employers, counselors and other agencies to coordinate information to ensure that the children were in a safe environment. As the case continued there was a death in the family that further complicated matters and caused a great deal of stress to the children. Tina and Helen were there for the children. Tina and Helen provided the individual attention and support the children needed during such a trying and traumatic time in their lives. Tina and Helen kept the court updated on new developments in the children’s case. Tina and Helen also kept the court up to date on the children’s safety and made best interest recommendations to the court on the children’s behalf. Contract Attorney, Mozella Irwin- Smith said, “"CASA was persistent and diligent in making sure that a parent stayed in contact and followed through with what she said she would and also got information for me which I could not get due to time factors. Helen communicated regularly with the children and voiced their ever changing opinions to the people who helped make the decisions about what would occur in their future."
Working as a team they each play a vital role and take on responsibilities when the other cannot. Tina typed up notes on the case and formulated reports to the court. Tina and Helen both worked with their CASA Case Supervisor, Trisha Rush, to report their findings and make recommendations to the judge on what they believed was in the best interest of the children.
On top of the great advocacy Tina and Helen provide for the children on their cases, they help in other ways as well. Tina is an outstanding artist. Tina volunteered to paint
Pistol Pete on CASA’s OSU themed playhouse that was auctioned off at the 2006 CASA fundraiser. Tina is currently working on the newly formed CASAngel group’s sponsor logo. Tina also painted all of the banners for CASA’s Christmas parade float. Helen also helped with the Christmas float by donating lights and decorating. Tina and Helen were both awarded the CASA Helping Hands Award in June 2006 for their repeated answers to CASA’s calls for help. Whether it’s volunteering to take a tough case, painting a banner, decorating a float, or just answering the call for assistance Helen and Tina are always there. “Tina and Helen are wonderful assets to Payne County CASA and we sincerely appreciate their outstanding volunteer efforts,” said Carmen Miller, Program Director.
If you would like to join Helen and Tina in their efforts to advocate for the best interest of abused and neglected children in Payne County please contact the CASA office at info@casaforkids.com or call 405-624-2242 and become a powerful voice in a child’s life. Fall CASA training begins in October. CASA volunteer applications are being accepted now! Help make a difference one child at a time!
