The saying "when one door closes, another door opens" seems to fit Cathy's life perfectly. Her life has been a series of doors closing and new ones opening. Time and time again, Cathy has remained positive, strong, and ready to meet the next challenge head on.
Born and raised in Missouri, she said goodbye to the only town she had known and moved to Burkburnett with her family in 1973 when her father was transferred here by PPG. Staying local, she graduated from MSU and went to work for AC Spark Plug, a division of General Motors, now known as Delphi. It was while working there that she first heard about Child Advocates. "At the time my husband had just passed away and I was raising three young children by myself", says Cathy. "I was not in a position to get involved."
Today Cathy is Plant Manager at Delphi, and because the plant has closed, Cathy will retire in January of this year. But it was last spring that she heard the call for volunteers from Child Advocates again. This time she answered. She trained and took a case right away. Her first case closed last month and she has already begun her second case.
Although her life has been a series of closing doors - leaving her hometown, losing her husband, her long-time employer closing - Cathy has persevered and found a new door to open each time. Today she is a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), giving abused and neglected children a voice. "Will I take another case when the current one closes," she asks. "Sure. That's why I volunteered."
Child Advocates is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower volunteers to be the voice in court for abused and neglected children. CASA volunteers are appointed by the court to be the Guardian ad Litem for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect.
Additional information regarding Child Advocates and the work they do in the surrounding counties is available at
www.casawf.org, or by calling 940-766-0552.
(For security purposes, Cathy's last name has been intentionally left out).