{"id":45388,"date":"2026-06-25T11:11:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T16:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/?p=45388"},"modified":"2026-06-25T11:11:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T16:11:46","slug":"local-program-spotlight-casa-of-williamson-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/2026\/06\/25\/local-program-spotlight-casa-of-williamson-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Program Spotlight: CASA of Williamson County"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Originally <a href=\"https:\/\/casawilco.org\/celebrating-10-years-advocacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shared<\/a> by CASA of Williamson County in March 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At CASA of Williamson County, advocacy isn\u2019t just a role. It\u2019s showing up, being consistent, and supporting children through every step of their journey in foster care. Michael demonstrates this in every way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the past ten years, Michael has served on five cases and advocated for ten children. Each child\u2019s story is different, but Michael\u2019s commitment has been the same: steady, compassionate, and reliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When his current CASA child first entered care, they were placed in a facility that hosted monthly Family Days. <strong>Michael never missed one.<\/strong> Month after month, he offered encouragement, presence, and support until the child was able to reconnect with family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because this child has been in care for a long time, the case has gone through several different caseworkers. Through every transition, Michael has remained a constant in the child\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Five cases. Ten children. Ten years of showing up. That is what advocacy looks like.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image45388_06d200-8f:not(.kb-image-is-ratio-size) .kb-img, .kb-image45388_06d200-8f.kb-image-is-ratio-size{padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-xxs, 0.5rem);}.kb-image45388_06d200-8f .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image45388_06d200-8f size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-1024x576.png\" alt=\"casa of williamson county volunteer michael\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-45389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-228x128.png 228w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design.png 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"reflections-on-a-decade-of-service\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reflections on a Decade of Service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We asked Michael to share his journey as a CASA volunteer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What inspired you to become a CASA volunteer 10 years ago?<\/strong><br>\u201cI actually started as a CASA in Cincinnati, Ohio. After moving to Texas, I came across a CASA booth at a local fair and thought, I should get back into this. It felt like the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What has kept you committed to CASA for a decade?<\/strong><br>\u201cMany of the cases I\u2019ve been assigned have lasted years. I never wanted to leave a case behind. One case would close, and I\u2019d feel led to take another. Before I knew it, ten years had passed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What has a child you worked with taught you?<\/strong><br>\u201cThat simply being present might be the best thing in their life at that moment. When a child tells you they\u2019re glad they met you and appreciate what you did, that means everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael describes successful advocacy as being a positive influence in a child\u2019s life and then stepping back once they are safe and supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"the-power-of-showing-up\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Power of Showing Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael\u2019s story is a reminder that consistent, compassionate advocacy matters. By showing up month after month, case after case, he has helped children feel supported, seen, and valued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At CASA of Williamson County, every volunteer contributes to children\u2019s well-being through dedication, presence, and partnership. Michael\u2019s decade of service shows that advocacy isn\u2019t about recognition. It\u2019s about being there when it counts most.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Originally shared by CASA of Williamson County in March 2026. At CASA of Williamson County, advocacy isn\u2019t just a role. It\u2019s showing up, being consistent, and supporting children through every [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":45391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_gspb_post_css":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-45388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casa-voice"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":89,"label":"The CASA Voice"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/texascasa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/hank-2-1024x1024.png",1024,1024,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Kelly Clarke","author_link":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/author\/kclarke\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":89,"name":"The CASA Voice","slug":"casa-voice","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":89,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":96,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":89,"category_count":96,"category_description":"","cat_name":"The CASA Voice","category_nicename":"casa-voice","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45388"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45392,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45388\/revisions\/45392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45388"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texascasa.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=45388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wordpress","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}