CASA Advocate Jane Hoover
We’ve all heard the saying “variety is the spice of life” – and for good reason, it’s true! Variety is what keeps us interested and engaged. It keeps us going, on our toes and looking ahead to the next thing on the horizon. At Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Hampshire, the volunteer experience is rife with variety, as 10-year veteran Jane Hoover knows.
As a CASA volunteer, Jane’s primary role is to advocate in court for children who are in the protection system due to abuse or neglect. Jane gathers facts and information to help a judge decide on the best permanent homes for those children. She does this by visiting her case child or children at least once a month, and speaking with the important adults in their lives, including parents, foster parents, health care and service providers, and educators.
With her consistent visits, Jane cultivates a bond that allows the children she represents to grow comfortable and open up to her. Having worked with children of many ages, Jane has decided that infants are her special niche. She says, “We have to establish trust with our CASA children no matter how young they are. My little guy that I have right now, I’ve known since he was four weeks old. I’ve watched his trust level with me grow. He knows me, he comes to me, he asks for support even when his words aren’t clear. Building that level of trust starts from day one no matter how young they are.”
Having been an educator for 37 years, Jane has a deep understanding of children and loves working with them. When she began thinking about retirement, CASA stood out as the perfect way for her to continue to serve children. With her very first case, Jane was hooked.
When thinking back on that case, she says, “It was so meaningful to have that father realize that he had made some bad choices, but he had the capacity to care for his children. Him having that eureka moment and realizing he could do this is what we always hope for.”
During her time with CASA, Jane has served on six cases advocating for a total of 11 children, and has seen that no two cases are the same. This is true for all the cases CASA of NH has been part of. The children and circumstances involved are all varied and unique, and each one presents opportunities for the volunteer to learn and grow. Jane experienced this on her most recent case.
“I always tell current and perspective volunteers that you have to determine your recommendations using your head and not your heart, but during this case I came to the very sudden conclusion that my heart was saying something that was more important than what me head was telling me. That’s when I realized that you do have to use your heart, you just have to use it in the right way.”
Variety exists for CASA volunteers outside of their case work as well. In addition to being an advocate, Jane mentors new volunteers as a Peer Coordinator. And she often appears as a co-host on CASA’s twice-monthly virtual info sessions, where she shares her experience and answers “all those questions you don’t dare ask the staff.”
Other offerings available to CASA volunteers include support groups, copious training opportunities, and social events where advocates and staff take time to recharge with some fun and camaraderie. And, since word of mouth is the number one way new volunteers are recruited, interested CASAs can help spread the word by joining staff at festivals and community gatherings.
From the variety and diversity presented within the cases themselves, to the numerous additional activities volunteers can join in on, the role of the CASA is always fresh and engaging. This is made clear when listening to Jane and other longtime volunteers. No matter the ways they choose to be involved, the passion, energy, and dedication they put into being a CASA only increases.
To learn more about volunteering with CASA of New Hampshire, sign up for a virtual information session. Jane hopes to see you there!