CASA volunteers serve Southeast Missouri community, make lasting impact on children’s lives

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 ~ Updated 9:51 PM

Upon retirement, Rosalie Knehans didn’t want to sit idly at home. She says she wanted to continue with purpose in life, and because of that desire, she became a court-appointed special advocate (CASA), a volunteer who is assigned to a case in the foster care system to advocate for the child.

Knehans was assigned many cases during her 10 years as a CASA, each one of them leaving an impact on her life.

“I felt like my life had purpose and that in some small way, I was contributing to someone else’s life,” Knehans says.

Her longest case was with a young boy whose mother had given up her parental rights; Knehans provided a stable relationship for him. She attended some of his soccer games, bought him Christmas gifts and maintained a trusting relationship with him throughout his entire time in the foster care system.

“I think I [was assigned to his case] maybe five years, and during that time, he was moved to six different locations. So, I was the constant in his life, no matter where he was moved to,” Knehans says.

Knehans heard of being a CASA when she came across a Dr. Phil episode discussing the program. She says it sounded fulfilling to her, and she became involved in her local chapter of CASA.

“Who we become as adults starts when we’re children,” Knehans says. “[Childhood] is such an important part of development for someone, and just hearing about the CASA program and how it helps children, it just felt like that’s what I want to do.”

Another case that stayed with Knehans was a family of four children. While their parents attended drug court, Knehans was their assigned CASA. Knehans says when she first met the siblings, they were “incorrigible,” hitting each other, kicking and screaming.

Eventually, the children were reunited with their parents, but Knehans continued to see them. She got to know the full family on a personal level and even celebrated their birthdays with them.

“Through the drug court process and the improvements in the parents, I started seeing changes in the children. And it was just an amazing experience to see what could happen,” Knehans says.

Even though Knehans is no longer a CASA, she says she still keeps in touch with many of the children and families she has worked with throughout the years.

“When you see families who have dealt with [these problems] for generations, and you see this family that can turn their lives around and really become able to bring their children up to be good adults, it’s just a wonderful thing,” Knehans says.

Knehans says helping the parents in the foster care system can also benefit their children.

“Getting the parents to a place where they can really be parents is so important,” Knehans says. “We help the children along as far as we can, but making a difference in the parents’ life is critical to the whole process.”

Knehans says although there are sad moments while serving as a volunteer, the benefits are far more rewarding.

“The biggest positive is when you see a family come together as a family. And that you’ve been a small part of that,” Knehans says.

Knehans encourages others to volunteer as a CASA to help children and families have support throughout their challenges. She says it is important for children and parents to have strong people to support them, which benefits the whole society in the long-run.

“Someone who is thinking of being a CASA would be someone who has a desire to help others,” Knehans says. And I think that they would never regret that they made a decision to become a CASA.”

For more information on how to become a CASA, visit www.voicesforchildrensemo.org.

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