Yuma CASA Volunteers Honored for Giving Foster Children a Voice

For Yuma foster children who have no one reliably in their corner, a trained volunteer can be the single adult who attends every court hearing, reviews every case file, and speaks directly to a judge on their behalf. Arizona recognized the men and women who fill that role during CASA Volunteer Week in early April, and several of those honored came from right here in Yuma County.

Sarah Healy has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for more than seven years. "Everything pointed me in the direction of that's how I want to spend my time," she said. "You're going to be a voice for children who may not have a voice from anyone else." Her tenure represents exactly the kind of sustained commitment the Yuma Council for CASA depends on as it works to recruit new advocates and expand coverage across the county.

Fellow Yuma volunteer Marde Randall described Arizona's foster system as one that earns genuine belief. "If you're going to have a child in foster care, Arizona might be the place to be," Randall said. "The children are really cared for and that was what inspires me. Daily, really."

The conviction behind those words is backed by data. Children who are assigned a CASA volunteer are more likely to succeed academically, more likely to reach permanency through adoption or family reunification, and are roughly half as likely to re-enter the foster system after leaving it.

In Yuma County, where Spanish is the primary language for a substantial share of families, bilingual advocates carry particular value. Volunteer Sandra Perez has pointed to language access as a critical trust-builder, noting that speaking Spanish allows advocates to communicate directly with children and relatives who do not speak English, producing a more complete picture of each child's circumstances for the court.

CASA volunteers are appointed by judges and operate under the Arizona Judicial Branch's Dependent Children's Services Division. Before taking on a case, each volunteer clears background checks and completes required training hours designed to prepare them for the legal and emotional weight of the role.

The statewide recognition coincided with an ongoing push to ensure every foster child in Arizona has a dedicated advocate, a goal that has not yet been fully achieved. The Yuma Council for CASA has continued its local awareness efforts to close that gap, one volunteer at a time.