Auna, Maleah & CASA Helen
Normal life for Maleah (age 2) and Auna (age 4) meant witnessing frequent domestic violence between their parents. When the girls were removed from their home and placed into foster care, Maleah had not yet said her first word. Auna had to have several teeth pulled and others capped. Her pierced ears had become infected.
CASA recognized these girls needed a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate to watch over them and provide a powerful voice for their safety and their future.
Helen Lucas was appointed to be the girls’ CASA volunteer. She spent hours talking to everyone involved in the girls’ lives – parents, grandparents, teachers, psychologists – learning about the situation and discovering the role that each played. She visited Maleah and Auna regularly, providing a consistent presence in their lives even as their Child Protective Services case worker changed several times. She sifted through stacks and stacks of reports on the girls.
Helen worked closely with the girls’ foster parents Carol and Ron Stobbe, supporting their goal of providing a healthy and loving environment. Helen always focused on moving toward a safe, permanent home for the girls. Helen describes her role as being “like a horse with blinders on”. She says, “my only charge was to be the voice for these two young girls who couldn’t get up in front of a judge themselves and say, ‘What about me?’ ”
With their father in jail, Maleah and Auna’s mother began court-ordered services required to regain custody of her girls. Yet soon she began skipping visitations with her daughters and did not follow through on counseling appointments. Eventually, she also ended up in jail.
Soon afterwards, Maleah and Auna’s father was released from prison and decided he wanted custody of the girls. Once Auna learned of this, her grades began to drop. She began acting out at home. Both girls were terrified of the possibility they would be returned to their father. Helen knew she could not let this happen. Helen fought hard to protect the girls in a long, drawn-out battle. Finally their father agreed to terminate his parental rights.
During their time in foster care, the girls had begun to open up and thrive. Carol and Ron felt they had already become a part of their family. They decided they wanted to adopt the girls.
Auna’s teacher reported that on the day the adoption was finalized, Auna’s face was brilliantly lit up, and she was walking on air. Maleah proudly told her principal, “I have a forever mommy and daddy now!” They began signing their new last name of Stobbe right away.
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