THE JULY ADVOCATE OF THE MONTH IS:
GRETCHEN CARTER
Inquisitive, self-motivated, BOLD…these are traits that describe an ideal advocate. They are also traits that describe CASA Gretchen Carter, which is why she has been chosen as the July Advocate of the Month. Gretchen has been an advocate since February of this year and is assigned to her first case in which she advocates for a four-year-old girl.
When Gretchen accepted the case, it had been open for four months. She didn’t waste any time learning everything she could about it, including meeting with her supervisor, reading the case files, and making the 87 mile drive to visit the child, all within the first four days. Since that first visit, Gretchen has continued to visit her kiddo every month, even when minimum standards allow face-to-face visits every other month. At court, she is fully prepared and gives excellent testimony. Her little girl receives several services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Gretchen maintains contact with each service provider so that she can stay apprised of her progress and then share it with attorneys, caseworkers, and even the child’s caregiver.
Another adjective that perfectly describes Gretchen is thorough. She asks questions, follows up on the answers, and keeps all parties well-informed. Her recordkeeping is meticulous. When reading her documentation, it is obvious that Gretchen has left no stone unturned in her advocacy. One example is when she was trying to locate family members. Phone calls and text messages were going unanswered, so Gretchen drove to the address that the child’s mother had provided CPS. No one answered the door, and Gretchen thought the home looked abandoned. Wanting to be able to support her theory, she took photos of the home and yard and shared them with the caseworker. CPS was later given another address, and Gretchen visited it as well. Once again, no one appeared to live there. Gretchen also mailed letters to all known addresses in an attempt to establish communication.
Gretchen wants to be well-versed in all aspects of advocacy, so she makes inquiries, does research, and astutely observes everything and everyone. As a result, she embodies the characteristics of an ideal advocate. CASA of Walker, San Jacinto, and Trinity Counties is thankful to have Gretchen on our team, and we consider it a privilege to be able to honor her in this small way as Advocate of the Month.