Advocate Impact: Greg Bowman
June Story of Hope
Written By: Cristal Olivera, Greg's Advocate Supervisor
When it was time for him to be discharged, she stated that she could no longer handle his behavior and wanted CPS to take custody.
Greg Bowman has been an Advocate with CASA since July of 2018 and Jason’s case is the first he has been assigned to. When I first met Greg, I noticed immediately his easy-going personality and his great sense of humor. It was obvious that he was going to be a valuable addition to CASA. I showed Jason’s case to Greg and he chose it without hesitation, realizing right away that this is a child that needed to have someone on his side. The first thing Greg did was set up a home visit to meet Jason and within a week, he had visited Jason twice in the foster home and also took him out to San Antonio Threads so that Jason could pick out some new clothes. Greg reached out to all of the parties involved, including Jason’s adoptive mother who made it very clear that she no longer wanted to be involved with Jason and that her intention was to relinquish her rights. Although Jason was not made aware of this right away, he was showing signs that he was upset and confused, wondering why he was not having visits or hearing from his mom. When his mom relinquished her rights at the 60 day status hearing, Greg was very concerned about Jason and how this would impact him. He was involved in discussions with the therapist and caseworker to determine the best way to break the news to Jason.
Once his mom relinquished her rights, Greg knew that it was imperative for Jason to maintain contact with the only other family that he had, his sister. Greg reached out to Jason’s sister’s CPS caseworker to inquire about sibling visits. His sister had previously been removed from the same adoptive home and was placed at a residential treatment center in Houston. In January of this year, Greg took Jason to Houston so that he could have a visit with his sister at the zoo. When Greg found out that Jason was very behind in reading, he advocated in his court report for Jason to get a tutor and Judge Garcia agreed this was important and recommended that the CPS caseworker request tutoring through the PMC court liaison. Greg was persistent in following up with the caseworker and PMC court liaison to ensure that the tutoring service began and continued. Greg recently met with the school to review Jason’s academic progress and Jason’s reading level has significantly improved since the beginning of the year, thanks to the tutoring and Greg who strongly advocated for it. Greg wanted to get Jason involved in an extra-curricular activity, knowing that it would be a good way to relieve stress and also improve his self-esteem. Greg was able to connect Jason with a YMCA basketball league and then helped out the foster parents by taking Jason weekly to most of his practices and games.
When Greg found out that Jason was very behind in reading, he advocated in his court report for Jason to get a tutor and Judge Garcia agreed this was important...
One of the most vital duties of our Advocates is to help find permanency. Jason is currently in a foster home, but because they are not interested in adoption, the search for his next forever family continues. As soon as the legal case was transferred to the adoption unit, Greg began asking about when Jason would be put on Texas Adoption Resource Exchange (TARE) and reminded the caseworker about it until it was done. Jason was fortunate enough to be chosen to be featured in KSAT’s “Hope for A Home” segment which was aired in April. (This can be viewed at https://www.ksat.com/news/hope-for-a-home-meet-jason ) Greg helped with this process, coordinating with other agencies involved and taking Jason to the preliminary meetings. Greg also accompanied Jason when he had the opportunity to tour the Ken5 news station and meet some of the news anchors.
Greg has been a constant support for Jason in these past nine months and he has demonstrated that Jason can count on him for anything he needs. Although the road to finding permanency for Jason may be long, he is very fortunate to have Greg by his side, always believing in him and reminding him to never give up hope.
Brennan Holland was assigned to Sarah in December 2022. Sarah entered foster care with a history of abuse, neglect, and exploitation, yet she remains incredibly resilient. Throughout her time in care, she has experienced multiple placements. Brennan quickly learned that Sarah has a strong passion for neuroscience and dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon. Determined to pursue her goal, she graduated early from high school and is now enrolled in the College Bound Docket program, attending her school of choice—UTSA. However, the path to achieving her dream has not been without challenges.\ Sarah received a discharge notice from her current placement and was denied Supervised Independent Living (SIL) until she turned 18. It felt as though no one was giving her a real chance. CASA stepped in to advocate for Sarah’s independence, pushing for her to live in a dorm on her own. Not everyone on her team supported this idea due to concerns about her age, limited independent living experience, and fears that she might run away, be influenced by older peers, or engage in risky behavior. CASA, however, continued to stand by Sarah, even offering financial assistance to help her move into a dorm until she became eligible for SIL. At Sarah’s next court hearing on January 24, 2025, her attorney ad litem filed a motion for her to live in a dorm at UTSA. CASA once again advocated for the court to approve this plan. The judge, quoting Brennan’s court report, stated, “Brennan said it correctly: You are going to succeed or fail based on your decisions.” Ultimately, the judge authorized Sarah to live in the dorms on campus and ordered CPS to cover the cost of SIL. CASA recently assisted Sarah in moving into her very first dorm room, and we are excited to see what the future holds for her. Since being placed on campus, she has built a strong network of supportive adults to help her thrive. The impact of CASA facilitating these vital connections is crucial in ensuring that young adults like Sarah have the support they need to successfully transition into adulthood.
Emily White
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