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 - two winners at the state level
JT Moore
and Gary Schnacke receive state awards
About Gary - After winning Payne County CASA’s Board Member of the Year two years running it’s time to take it to the next level! Gary Schnacke joined Payne County’s Board of Directors in 2002. Gary brought with him a contagious flurry of enthusiasm that set the tone for the Board.
Gary instantly stepped up to the plate and proved to be a true leader in 2003 when he volunteered to Chair the Long Range Planning Committee. Gary took this job to heart and took the initiative to call meetings and come up with fundraising and awareness ideas to help bolster the program. Gary came up with our DVD campaign which included a special DVD made specifically with information about our county. This prompted the recruitment of OSU Football Coach Mike Gundy as CASA’s official spokesman. The DVD campaign raised revenue and awareness. We continue to use the DVD’s today as a volunteer recruitment tool, which has worked wonders and seems to reach people even better than simply reading pamphlets. We use the DVDs to help educate groups, companies and corporations in order to secure donations. I give the DVDs out when I speak to groups, churches, and other organizations in town. We also use the DVDs in our sponsor and donor packets to obtain help for our annual valentine gala. Our local Kappa Alpha Theta sorority uses the DVD during Rush to help educate their pledges about their local and national philanthropy.
So Gary is already off to an incredible start but he outdoes himself each year. Gary works for MerCruiser in Stillwater. Gary has been able to acquire boats from Mercury and other connections of his in the boating industry to benefit CASA. In 2006 Gary will have acquired the donation of our THIRD boat for auction! This year Gary has managed to outdo himself again by obtaining a Crestliner luxury pontoon valued at $35K! Go Gary!
Not only does Gary work hard to recruit support through donors but he’s all about educating the donors in the process. Gary wants everyone to know what CASA does and what we’re about so they know their donation is a donation well spent. Gary has played an integral role in the continued success of our annual valentine gala. Gary heads up the Live Auction Committee each year and is very organized, motivating, and serious about this responsibility. Gary calls meetings, sends emails, and makes phone calls to keep everyone motivated, updated, and on task. Gary is the first to ask amidst all the hubbub how we’re going to convey the CASA message at our fundraisers. Gary never forgets why he’s here and knows the kids are the reason we’re doing all of this. He wants to make sure no one else forgets either. After all of this we’re still not to the part of this nomination which should put Gary over the top in this award category.
In 2005 our local program suffered some political set backs which literally could have let the bottom fall out of the program. It was during this chaotic and potentially devastating time that Gary stepped up to the plate and despite it all volunteered to become President of our Board determined to keep CASA’s mission the focus. Most people would balk at the idea of obtaining leadership during a time like this knowing instantly it might be stressful, require more time and more work, include many a debate and much energy about the issues at hand, and include making decisions that could be tough and critical to the organization.
It’s often difficult to get people to take on the responsibility of board president during times of normalcy and calm due the amount of time and level of commitment it requires. Gary never hesitated and his confidence was reassuring to other board members and staff. From that point forward Gary carefully reviewed all the information and options and assigned committees and chairs to deal with specific areas that needed to be addressed. Gary also took advantage of this time to revisit our bylaws, take another look at our board member recruitment and approval process, the accounting and budget, and so much more. Gary gracefully addressed each of these areas that contained a staggering level of importance to the program. Gary lead the board in the direction of a fresh start building on the strong foundation the program already had.
Today we’re more efficient, better prepared, and continue to follow our strong leader. Gary went to bat for CASA one person at a time. Gary is that friend that will stay on your doorstep telling you about CASA until he feels you’re convinced and you agree that it’s the most awesome and important program there is! Gary is the guy who is so committed to the CASA program that he’s bubbling with excitement about the things he can do to help- I can promise you if you talked to Gary today he would mention CASA and he would tell you all about the boat we’re auctioning off February 10, 2006!
Gary is always in recruitment mode for board members, volunteers, and donations. Gary is always checking on the staff and checking in on the office, making sure things are ok. Gary is always there to accompany me to meetings. As a matter of fact just as he was becoming the President he accompanied me to my very first grant hearing for our local United Way agency. It feels good to know he’ll be there when you need him. Through it all it’s easy to forget that our board members and officers, people like Gary, are volunteers too. To think Gary did all of this as a volunteer is mind boggling. Gary is always going above and beyond for CASA in every way. Leaders with such high levels of commitment and hearts of gold like Gary are few and far between. Where would Payne County CASA be today without Gary’s leadership? Let’s not even think about it! Let’s just say we’re so very lucky to have him and he’s more than deserving of this award!
About JT - JT has been a volunteer for CASA for two and a half years. JT is currently on two cases bringing his total cases to seven and the number of children he has compassionately served to 15. I would say JT is Payne County’s equivalent of Old Faithful! He’s always there and right on time.
I believe every CASA Volunteer is a special person that requires a high level of commitment and compassion but JT has that times 10 and so much more. Let me first tell you the things he does routinely that are often overlooked but are of dire importance. He turns in case activity sheets on time every month, he’s at every meeting and court hearing for his cases, he attends every in service, coffee, or other event for our program. He’s in my office at least once weekly to update me on his case. He keeps in very close contact with his CASA kids and families and stays on top of his cases at all times. His consistency is unmatched. He has had children in different areas of the state from Miami, to Spencer, to Ponca, to Cushing, and just about everywhere in between- that doesn’t stop JT.
All of these things seem ho hum but the foundation of a good volunteer and a good program start here so what seems like the daily, weekly, or monthly grind is truly more important than one simple outstanding act. These things are critical to program and volunteer success. JT is a team player and often accompanies DHS workers, parents, or family members to visits in far away places. JT has worked as a team with another CASA volunteer on a very complex and volatile case. JT is also a leader. JT has assisted with volunteer training for the last two years sharing his experiences and knowledge about CASA with new trainees. JT has volunteered to help with CASA booths at the Payne County Adoption parties. JT has volunteered to represent CASA in community meetings and be a voice for our organization. JT is the CASA representative for System of Care meetings in Stillwater and always debriefs me and keeps me up to date. JT has also volunteered to be on Volunteer Committees and always makes donations of art to our annual valentine gala. JT accompanied me to dinner at our local Theta chapter to receive a donation.
CASA events wouldn’t be the same without JT there as he is a permanent fixture at everything we do. JT has suffered some very tough set backs in his tenure as a CASA Volunteer. One of his first cases with CASA was a family that had been in the system many times before with five children. This case was accompanied by preconceived opinions of the other parties who had worked with this family in the past. JT was able to have a working relationship with the family, be there for the kids, earn the trust of the target child in the case, be objective despite strong opinions of others, and see the case to a positive and seemingly permanent closure by helping facilitate guardianships with an aunt in another state.
JT is able to connect with just about anyone and make them feel validated. JT has eloquently dealt with teens exhibiting violent and delinquent behavior, children acting out from sexual abuse, grandparents raising grandchildren, family members with substance abuse issues, parents and step parents with mental health issues, and even a father with a very negative history that other parties felt was unreachable. This particular father had child welfare history and felt everyone was out to get him. The parties on the case viewed him as violent, uncooperative and flat out dangerous. First of all, I immediately thought of JT for this case but it’s difficult to ask someone to be on case that is surrounded by such negativity and with a potentially violent father. JT took the case without hesitation and assured me he would do his best.
The first visit that JT set up to approach this father the father would not allow JT in his home. The second visit the father recorded their conversation. From that point forward the father opened up to JT and made huge strides. The mother in that case was later killed in a domestic violence dispute which was devastating for the children. This seemingly hopeless case with its not-so-promising past was out of the system in a record seven months because the father was able to turn his life around with JT’s help and the girls went to live with him. This case ended up being a stunning and speedy success. Sadly, just this month the same father passed away in his late 30’s of heart problems after having the girls successfully home with him for almost two years- devastating these children a second time.
JT was very concerned and upon hearing the news started checking in on the kids, speaking with teachers and attending the father’s services all from his own goodwill. JT has become a constant flame of hope in the lives of two children who have been through more than any child should ever have to endure.
JT is an outstanding volunteer- I wish I could put him on every new case that comes in- he’s just a natural at working with others from all walks of life. JT works well with all the professionals we deal with on a weekly basis as well. The attorneys we work with request JT to be on their cases. There’s never a question about JT’s motives- everyone knows he’s all about the kids. JT even manages to elicit a working relationship with DHS workers that some volunteers can never achieve.
JT has been a stand out in our program since the beginning. His first year he was awarded the Payne County CASA Rookie of the Year Award given to the most outstanding new CASA volunteer overall. It’s not surprising to learn that in the next year JT was awarded CASA Volunteer of the Year for Payne County and this award is given to the most outstanding volunteer overall.
That’s not all; JT was awarded Most Miles Driven by a CASA Volunteer in 2005 with a staggering 1,890 miles! JT was also honorable mention for Most Time Given by a CASA Volunteer in 2005 donating 156 hours of service. Those numbers alone speak volumes about the exceptional volunteer that we have in Mr. Moore. JT is very community minded and has a huge heart. He volunteers for several other agencies and groups and despite that he is always the most prompt, consistent, and dedicated volunteer that we have in Payne County- what more could a program ask for in a volunteer? I’ve told JT that if I could clone him I would! J
Carmen Miller
Director
Payne County CASA
