Sally Harris’s Story of Genuine Care and Perseverence
If you were to meet Sally Harris for the first time, her warm smile and upbeat attitude would quickly reveal that she’s a people person. Sally cares about others, and she cares about her community. This is evident from the many volunteer roles she holds (president of her town Historical Society, easement monitor, member of the Lands Committee at the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, invasive weed watcher for the Lake Sunapee Protective Association, and food pantry volunteer, along with a few others).
While Sally couldn’t imagine her life not being filled to the brim with these diverse callings, there’s one other role that she feels most allows her to make a positive impact on someone’s life. It’s through her work with Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA of NH.
“Being on a board of directors you’re overseeing an organization and doing a lot of strategic work, but you’re not actually in direct contact with or directly impacting anyone,” explains Sally. “The thing that I like about CASA is that it’s extremely direct. You’re really getting involved in a specific case with specific people where you can make a difference. That is what is appealing about it to me.”
In the six years since Sally became a CASA advocate, there have been many ways she’s positively impacted the lives of children and families. The first case Sally took as a CASA involved a child who wasn’t attending school.
At the beginning of the case the parent showed anger and hostility to all involved. “She was very unhappy that the State had brought a case against her, and I was a little afraid at first. I didn’t want to go by myself to meet with her,” recounts Sally.
Sally’s genuine interest in the child, the family and their well-being slowly won the parent over. “By the end of that case, which lasted about 18 months, the mother would give me a hug when I came,” says Sally. “By the end of it we had a really good relationship. That was great, I felt like I could make a difference. She wasn’t perfect. There were a lot of things that were wrong, and she was so damaged by her upbringing that she’s never going to be perfect. She has so many obstacles. And yet you could see the real bond between her and her daughter. I really believed that she could do the right thing. That was a rewarding case.”
With each CASA case, the challenges and rewards go hand-in-hand. Through experience Sally knows that some cases are more difficult than others. “Every time you accept a new case,” she says, “you’re going into a situation that just is so full of negatives, and as a CASA it can be a little scary, honestly.”
She continues, “You don’t know who you’re dealing with. You don’t know any of the people — you don’t know the social worker, you don’t know what this family is going to be like, and you’ve got to build a relationship with the child.
“That’s what’s rewarding,” says Sally, “taking a situation that’s fraught, and scary and unknown, and then working through it until you begin to know the people involved. You begin to know the State social worker and the parents. You begin to have a relationship with the child. You start to understand what the judge in the case and their courtroom is like. And all these relationships allow you to see how you can make a difference.”
After one especially tough case, Sally communicated to her advocate supervisor, Mark, that the challenges were taking a toll on her. After hearing this, Mark was able to match Sally with a case that would give her some breathing room from the difficulties she’d faced. This is the case she’s currently on.
“The case that I have now has so much hope in it that it stands out for me,” says Sally. “The child is a little bit younger, and we can kind of have fun.”
The father on this case struggles with substance use disorder, having been involved with substances since his preteens. While he’s had slipups, which are a recognized part of recovery, Sally has witnessed the motivation he has to reunite with his son.
“He really, really wants this to work,” she says. “He tries hard, and he communicates well. I see what a good situation it is for him to be with his son if only we can support him through the substance misuse to help him get the right resources so he can stick with it. It’s nice to have a case where there’s so much hope; where you have kind of a partner in a parent, who really cares.”
By sticking with her role through the tough times, Sally has been able to experience the great times as well. “Here I have a dad whose kid really comes first. I love it. It’s rejuvenated me. I’m all-in again.”
The role of a CASA is full of lows and highs, of challenges and rewards. And it’s the everyday skills, experience, and talents that average people bring to the role that makes them extraordinary advocates for children. Sally’s genuine care for people has helped her persevere so that she can continue to be a strong, life-changing voice for children.
