Story of Hope: Sarah Evertt

Story of Hope: Sarah Evertt

Advocate Sarah Evertt was assigned a sibling group of 4 in August 2021 after allegations of neglectful supervision due to domestic violence and continued substance dependence by parents. The children were placed with family where they felt safe and wanted to remain at the kinship home.


Sarah maintained weekly phone contact and biweekly home visits with the children and caregiver to ensure all needs were being met including feeling safe. The children's ages were 13,12,10, and 9 all were able to verbalize their desires. The children requested no visits with either parent fearing the abuse cycle would just continue.


Sarah had an amazing impact of amplifying their voices and needs by sharing the children's wants with the CPS caseworker and children's attorney to ensure they felt heard on a monthly basis. In court Sarah shared the desires of the children with the judge through her court report and testimony. Sarah advocated for the children's educational needs by speaking to teachers, securing a tablet for each child and painting art supplies to use for educational purposes.


Sarah also signed them up for several art events to express themselves as this was one of their favorite hobbies they shared as a sibling group. Sarah attended many school events to support her CASA children during her year-long assignment. Sarah was able to secure each child a new twin size bed with bedding to feel safe in their own personal space after finding out the kinship caregivers could use help securing each child a bed with the help of CASA donors. The oldest child requested a bike and Sarah was able to provide him a new bike with the help of CASA donors.


After being assigned to the case for a year, adoption was approved for the 4 children to remain in the kinship home where they are all placed together with an older 16-year-old sibling. Sarah maintained a strong professional relationship with the CPS worker, child's attorney, parents' attorney, medical staff, and school staff to ensure children's needs were kept at the forefront.


Due to the constancy Sarah brought to the family with her open lines of communication the family has asked Sarah to continue to reach out as often as she wants as they consider her a family friend now that the case is successfully closed as of 9/2022. 

Story of Hope: Brennan Holland

By bfines • February 13, 2025
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.

February Advocate Spotlight

By bfines • February 13, 2025
Emily White
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