In her more than 20 years of service to Advocates for Children CASA, which serves four counties in Colorado, Linda Rieke Wilkinson has seen many changes. “We’ve grown from an annual budget of just over $100,000 to over $1 million,” she says. “I’ve also noticed that the courts are much more open to listening and acting on a CASA volunteer’s recommendation, and in many cases the judges are requesting CASA volunteers. Another change is that courts are much more interested in helping to reunite families by allocating time, education and other resources to help the parents get to a place where their family can be together.”
It was Linda’s membership in Theta—as an alumna of the Delta Lambda Chapter at University of Utah—that prompted her to read a book written by a guardian ad litem, which led her then-boss to invite her and her husband to a CASA program’s fundraiser. One week later, she was asked to serve on the board.
“I’m amazed at all the Theta sisters in Colorado who are involved with a CASA program in some way,” Linda notes. She attributes that to the way the CASA/GAL mission resonates with Thetas. “What could be better than helping a child grow and thrive during their childhood? Helping a child is helping to make the world a better place.”
“I’ve always been proud to be a Theta, and Theta introduced me to the CASA mission.”