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For Schwarz, both cases rein­
forced the same painful reality: 
“Abuse and neglect are not confined 
to one zip code, economic back­
ground or neighborhood.”
And too often, children navigat­
ing those circumstances feel invisible.
“These are children who need 
somebody paying attention,” he 
says. “Somebody asking questions. 
Somebody showing up consistently.”
According to Schwarz, the im­
pact of that kind of presence is un­
deniable. “We save lives, really.”
That may ultimately be the most 
powerful thing about CASA. “Ad­
vocacy is not about having all the 
answers or changing someone’s life 
overnight,” says Higginbotham. “It’s 
about relationships. It’s about show­
ing up consistently enough for a 
child to finally believe they matter.” 
Maplewood 
resident 
Charles 
Hammer, another CASA advocate, 
says he has been able to be an advo­
cate while having a full-time job and 
a family. He says that CASA matches 
volunteers with cases that fit the vol­
WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT CASA 
CASA Essex County offers multiple ways for the SOMA 
community to support children navigating foster care.
•	 Donate backpacks and school supplies
•	 Provide holiday and birthday gifts 
•	 Participate in fundraising events 
•	 Organize a drive for hygiene and everyday 
essentials for teens
•	 Become a trained CASA volunteer
•	 Make financial contributions that help fund 
advocacy, training, and direct support programs 
for children throughout Essex County.
WALK WITH CASA!
40th Anniversary Walk-a-Thon at the 
Clipper Pavillion Reservoir Walking Path in West Orange
Sunday, June 28 at 9 a.m.
One of the organization’s largest annual community 
events, this walk-a-thon raises awareness and critical 
funding for CASA Essex County’s advocacy programs and 
the children they serve.
For more information, visit casaessex.org
unteer’s life. 
“Even if it’s just a few hours a 
month, the point is to be a consistent 
presence in the child’s life,” Ham­
mer says. “So many things change 
in their lives. So much trauma. They 
need a friendly face every month.” 
For advocates like Hammer, Pe­
skin, and Schwarz, that kind of im­
pact starts with something surpris­
ingly simple: showing up. “If people 
feel frustrated by the world or don’t 
know what to do next,” Peskin says, 
“do this.”
Anderson agrees. “Some youth 
just need someone to lean on,” she 
says. “Someone by their side that 
they know won’t ever leave.”
Foster care may be a silent pres­
ence in our communities. But ad­
vocacy doesn’t have to be loud to 
change a life. Sometimes, it simply 
looks like staying. 
Amy Lynn-Cramer is a health & life 
coach who helps people navigate ca­
reer transitions, leadership growth and 
workplace culture with clarity and 
confidence.

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