Don Dimmitt
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your background?
I have lived in Wenatchee for 36 years. I practiced law at Jeffers Danielson through 2014.
Why did you decide to become a CASA Volunteer?
I wanted to purposefully fill some of my new free time upon retirement so three months before I retired I took the CASA training. I had seen a former lawyer and current CASA speak at Law Day a few years earlier and made a note that it might be a good fit upon my retirement.
Tell us about your role as a CASA?
I actually have three roles now as a CASA. I have my own cases where I investigate the matter, get to know the kids and make recommendations. I also supervise new CASAs and help them along the road. Finally, I teach the report writing classes.
Why is your CASA work meaningful to you?
The work is meaningful because all of these kids have found themselves in troubling situations and anything we can do to help them along the way is a good thing.
What is your favorite part of being a volunteer?
The favorite part for me is that it is such a good fit. My entire career was spent investigating, evaluating and then presenting in some fashion either in writing or in court. I call being a CASA “lawyer light“. In other words, the process for me is familiar and it’s nice to be able to continue to use my skills without the pressures and demands of being a career lawyer.
Why is having a CASA Volunteer so important to foster youth?
These kids need to know that someone is on their side. While I have had a very good experience with all of the social workers I have worked with, the kids almost always see them as part of the problem because they work for the department took them out of their home.
Is there advice you would give someone who is thinking about becoming a volunteer?
My advice to an interested someone would be to think about every piece of being a CASA and whether you are really interested in doing those things. Do you like the idea of investigating? Are you able to put your thoughts on paper and articulate those thoughts out loud? Do you like the idea of spending time and getting to know troubled kids? Are you able with your schedule to set aside quite a bit of time at the beginning of a case and then regularly manage it? It’s not enough to just want to help out the kids.
Ashleigh Keyser
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your background?
I am a retired physician originally from the Seattle area. My spouse and I moved to Wenatchee over 20 years ago after working with the Indian Health Service and realizing we wanted to live in a smaller town and a sunnier climate than the west side, but still be close to family. We have four kids, now all college age or beyond.
Why did you decide to become a CASA Volunteer?
Ten years ago, our oldest child became disabled in an accident and I retired from medicine to look after him. As his condition improved and our other kids moved on to college, I started looking for meaningful and interesting volunteer opportunities that I could do while still caring for our son. About that time, one of my friends in Wenatchee had been telling me a lot about how much she enjoyed being a CASA and a classmate at my college reunion, a judge in a family court, made a comment about how volunteering as a CASA was a way to truly make a difference for kids in difficult situations and how much she valued the CASA input. I inquired the Chelan-Douglas CASA office and it seemed like I really would be able to balance my son’s needs and advocate for foster kids, so I signed up.
Why is your CASA work meaningful to you?
My CASA work is meaningful to me because it fills my personal need to be doing something useful which I used to get through the medical career. I feel like I am part of a team or club where everyone has a similar personal mission. I also enjoy intellectual challenges and CASA has been a great opportunity to keep learning – I knew almost nothing about the legal world before becoming a CASA and it has been fun to explore it.
Why is having a CASA Volunteer so important to foster youth?
I feel CASAs are most important for foster youth in that we are often the one constant in their lives, the one adult who will always show up for them. Foster placements can change for many reasons, the social workers, counselors, and others who are on the kiddo’s team may change, biological parents are not always able to get to visits….but the CASA is always there.
Is there advice you would give someone who is thinking about becoming a volunteer?
Advice I would offer potential CASA volunteers is just to carefully evaluate your time commitments and emotional resilience. I have found CASA work very flexible most of the time, but right at the start of a case and right around any court date, you do need to have several hours available. Other than the court day itself, when you do those hours is still pretty flexible, but advocating well will mean you have reviewed a lot of files and talked to a lot of people and written a report. As to the emotional piece, the children we advocate for can come from really traumatic circumstances, are nonetheless sad to be separated from parents, and can struggle with fitting in where they are placed, and the CASA is one person they may feel safe confiding all this to. That can feel overwhelming sometimes for us.
Jay Brunner
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your background?
I grew up in a small town in eastern Oregon, Pendleton. After high school I attended Willamette University in Salem OR and then went to WSU for graduate studies. My first profession position was at Michigan State University and after three years I accepted a position at the WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee, WA, where I focused on research of pests associated with the tree fruit industry. After 38 years I retired the end of 2015 and have been enjoying my retirement years with my wife Sandy.
Why did you decide to become a CASA Volunteer?
I was encouraged by another CASA volunteer to consider becoming a CASA. I looked into the program and realized it served children who, for good reasons, had been removed from their parents. When I went through the CASA training I saw clearly that the organization was run well and as a non-profit, served the needs of representing foster children in the Chelan and Douglas County area.
Why is your CASA work meaningful to you?
My faith calls me to serve those in need in our culture, especially the most vulnerable, the widow and orphans. I see the foster children as our modern day orphans of a sort, as they are away from parents and need a voice in our judicial system. I have been blessed and challenged with joys and struggles with the cases I have been associated with, but clearly see the importance of being an advocate for what is the best interest for the child. I recently became a peer coordinator, where I help new CASA volunteers manage the initial challenges of cases they have accepted. This role allows me to apply what I have learned during my activities on cases I have been associated with.
Why is having a CASA Volunteer so important to foster youth?
I think I covered this above, but if not clear, for me the CASA role is to be an advocate for foster children who need a voice in the legal system and to work towards what is in the best interest of the child.
Is there advice you would give someone who is thinking about becoming a volunteer?
I would challenge and encourage someone thinking about becoming a CASA volunteer to, after an interview, go through the training. The experiences in the training will help to confirm or deny a calling to serve as a CASA volunteer. The good news is if a person is called to become a CASA volunteer there is great support from CASA staff and other CASA volunteers to help you through the initial challenges of taking on a case, and for that matter to be supported throughout the life of a case by the program.
Barbara Boers
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your background?
My birth in New York a very long time ago began the journey that took our Air Force family all over the United States as well as a two-year tour in Japan. Our family ended up in California for my father’s last tour of duty and subsequent retirement. There I completed high school and college. Then off to Midwest for my husband to complete his education and then more travel as my husband spent four years in the Navy. We moved to Washington 24 years ago and most definitely consider Wenatchee home.
Out of college I worked in retail, then in cancer research, and finally in special education. My husband, Dan, and I have two children and two very much doted upon grandchildren. Reading, exploring, and spending time with family are sources of joy.
Why did you decide to become a CASA Volunteer?
A very wise educator once told me when our youngest was in preschool that anything we do for children in our community we are also doing for our own children, for their future as well as for those we serve. Volunteerism is such an important part of a thriving and healthy community. It draws the community together and it makes possible the sharing of a wide variety of skills that might otherwise go untapped. Hearing of a need for child advocates in dependency cases, hearing stories from active CASAs, and loving to engage with children, becoming a CASA was a natural step for me.
Why is your CASA work meaningful to you?
Becoming a part of a child’s life and walking beside him/her in the often-traumatic dependency journey is a sweet privilege. Witnessing the struggles may be at times very difficult, but glimpsing hope, seeing families re-united or adoptions taking place are sources of great joy. Other joy makers are seeing the light that comes into a child’s life when life has been chaotic. Seeing parents achieving sobriety or successfully dealing with other parenting challenges. Working with caring Social Workers, wonderful foster parents, struggling parents, invested service providers. All in all, becoming a CASA has meant investing in hope for a child’s bright future.
Why is having a CASA Volunteer so important to foster youth?
While parents have attorneys, children in a dependency do not have a voice in the proceedings that very much involve them. Though children 12 and older may have an attorney there most often is very little contact between attorney and child. (Many times, this is because of an attorney’s heavy workload.) Also, an attorney is not obligated to speak for a child’s best interests but is obligated to make a child’s wishes known. A child’s CASA spends a great deal of time with that child and is often the only voice speaking on behalf of that child’s best interests. The detailed reports that CASAs write for court provide a picture for the judge of a child’s struggles and expressed hopes. The recommendations made can result in positive outcomes for the children we serve.
A powerful conversation with older elementary or high school children often occurs when I can share with them that I am a volunteer who is there for them and only them. No agenda. No paycheck. No commitment except to their best interests and to upholding the law that is there to protect them. When a child has been removed from their home there are many adults who suddenly come into their lives. It can be very reassuring that there is one person there for them with no other goal than to make sure the court hears their story and looks out for what is best for them.
Is there advice you would give someone who is thinking about becoming a volunteer?
Being a CASA is a gift and a privilege. It can be painful and frustrating but the celebrations of successes and the relationships that are healed far outweigh the difficult times. If someone were to be questioning whether to become a CASA volunteer, I would enthusiastically encourage them to give it a try. We have the best (no prejudice involved) CASA program in the state. What makes it so very special is not just that every child entering a dependency has a CASA (the only program in the state with 100% coverage) but that each staff member is there to come alongside, to help, to listen. New CASAs have mentors, seasoned volunteers, who help them begin the journey so that it is a shared experience.
Dick Reed
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your background?
I moved to the Wenatchee valley several years ago, arriving here in the summer of 2016 from Seattle. My wife and I settled here, but our five adult children are working in Seattle, Portland and near Toronto. We are active in our church and we like to travel. Although I am retired, Vicki works part-time in the Wenatchee schools and I am active in Rotary. As long as I can remember, I felt the call of public service. Scouting, lifeguarding and volunteering in my community. After college, I joined the Seattle police department. I served for 30+ years working in nearly every community in the City. I retired feeling satisfied with my work and ready to do something new.
Why did you decide to become a CASA Volunteer?
After getting settled here in Wenatchee, I felt the need to serve my new community. I wanted to find a meaningful way to serve families and children because we believe that the future of our society is in the care and nurturing of our children.
Why is your CASA work meaningful to you?
While I was a cop, I saw my share of families and children in crisis. Working in law enforcement I often encountered children after a great tragedy or violent incident. I came to understand that early intervention in the lives of children and their families may prevent tragedy and reduce suffering. I believe that serving as a CASA volunteer is my little part in serving needs of the most vulnerable.
Why is having a CASA Volunteer so important to foster youth?
The Department Social Workers are busy managing multiple cases. Caregivers are often immersed in the day to day challenges of life. Sometimes a child in a dependency will be served by different Social Workers and may move to and from different foster homes. Judges, Lawyers and court staff have specific roles and have no contact with kiddos. This leaves the CASA as the one independent participant in the dependency who knows how the child is doing and may have spent more time with the child than anyone else in the courtroom. The CASA is the voice of the child and they are heard.
Is there advice you would give someone who is thinking about becoming a volunteer?
When I started, I remember that the process sounded daunting. The good news is that our CASA organization provides all the training that is required and assigns an experienced CASA to guide new volunteers through the “firsts” on their initial case. Then our CASA staff are there to guide and assist volunteers as the case continues to resolution.
Becca Freimuth
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your background?
I was born and raised in the Wenatchee Valley and have always been passionate about giving back to the community through volunteering locally. Professionally, my background is in nonprofit communications and project management, and I am constantly amazed by the passion people in our community have for supporting one another.
What inspired you to become a CASA volunteer?
I was first introduced to CASA as a teenager while volunteering at an event, and the organization’s mission always stayed in the back of my mind. Almost 15 years later, I realized I had the time and experience to explore the opportunity further. I was ultimately inspired to become a CASA when I learned more about the important impact CASA volunteers have on children in the dependency system.
What has your experience as a CASA been like so far?
My experience has been profoundly humbling, especially through the Fostering Futures program, which allows me to serve as a mentor and help older youth gain the vital life skills they need for adulthood. It is a unique role that ensures the specific needs of a young person aren’t lost within a complex system.
Why do you think having a consistent adult advocate matters so much for children in foster care?
In a system where faces and placements change constantly, a CASA provides a consistent adult who supports a child from start to finish. This role allows us to deliver a respected point of view to the court, ensuring the child’s best interests are heard and they are given a voice they might not otherwise have.
What has surprised you most about being a CASA?
I have been most surprised and inspired by the immense resilience shown by the children I serve; even on the hardest days, their strength is what shines through. While they face significant challenges, they have taught me far more about perseverance and hope than I could ever hope to give them.
How has this experience changed you or shaped how you see your community?
It has exposed me to realities I never knew existed in my own community and reinforced that a “system” is only as effective as the people within it. I now see my community through a lens of shared responsibility, knowing that our collective support is what nurtures the fragile strength of these children.
What would you say to someone who’s considering becoming a CASA volunteer or supporting our organization?
This is a unique opportunity to turn your time and generosity into a tangible, life-changing impact—and it doesn’t take as much time as you might think. You don’t need to be a hero; you just need to be a consistent presence who is willing to stand in a child’s corner.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I am incredibly proud to be part of the Chelan-Douglas CASA program. It is a joy to work alongside the dedicated staff who support over 60 volunteers to ensure every child in a Chelan or Douglas County dependency case has a CASA so no child has to navigate these challenges alone.
