CASA Toy Drive at Fashion island brings much needed warmth to children in foster care

A frog cheerfully depicted amid a snowy winter scene hanging inside an ornament kiosk at the mall caught the eye of the 16-year-old foster child Sue Burke had been caring for. They had her name printed on it and took it back to their home so she could place it on their Christmas tree alongside those the Lake Forest resident’s biological children had picked out years ago.

The gift couldn’t have cost Burke more than $10. But its value as a symbol of one of the few consistent relationships in the teen’s life was immeasurable.

“She had been in foster care since she was 11,” Burke said. “But none of her families had made her feel permanent.”

That teen, now a young woman in graduate school, still visits Burke for Christmas each year. But not everyone who goes through the foster system is lucky enough to meet caregivers who invite them to join their families.

Gestures of kindness can mean a lot to kids and teens recovering from trauma, separated from their families, cycling through housing arrangements and sometimes taking on parental roles in order to protect their siblings. For youth forced to grow up fast in order to survive, the simple act of unwrapping a present can offer a rare moment of joy.

A toy drive running Nov. 15 through Dec. 17 at Fashion Island in Newport Beach will give members of the community a chance to provide some measure of warmth to young people in need. Unwrapped gifts dropped off at the mall will be distributed by Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to youth in the foster care system.

CASA is an organization that connects kids and young adults with people who can offer mentoring, companionship and a stable, persistent presence in their lives. They welcome well-meaning people of practically every background and provide extensive training before introducing volunteers to the kids they’ll become advocates for.

Without a persistent network of people behind them, it’s not uncommon for young adults in foster care to slip into homelessness. Only about 53% manage to graduate high school on time. But those in touch with someone from CASA stand a much better chance of going on to college and finding meaningful careers, according to Burke, a volunteer with the organization.

“It’s very rewarding as a CASA to see these kids grow, see them mature and become who they could be, realize their potential, because you believed in them,” Burke said.

There are around 3,000 kids in foster care in Orange County. At any given time, as many as 200 of them are on the waitlist to connect with a CASA advocate. The group is in particular need of bilingual volunteers as well as men who want to make a difference, Burke said.

However, the primary requirement of becoming a CASA volunteer is a desire to make a positive impact in a young person’s life, she said. Joining the organization can allow people to accomplish that without taking on the responsibility of housing and caring for youth on a day-to-day basis.

Volunteers are required to make at least a two-year commitment to kids they’re paired with. They typically meet at least twice a month to share meals, go on hikes, visit museums or parks, have their nails done and otherwise just be there for youth.

Children in the foster care system experience a tremendous amount of disruption and instability. Burke said one of the kids she was sponsoring had cycled through four different group homes in the course of two years.

Group homes typically house four to six teens and are run by staff who are present for eight-hour shifts, Burke explained. Working with foster youth is demanding, so there tends to be frequent turnover among the employees caring for them.

“So you maybe get close to somebody, and all of a sudden they’re gone,” Burke said. “So you stop building relationships. That trauma of constantly losing people makes them hold back.”

Breaking through those barriers can be challenging, Burke said. It takes compassion, patience and, most of all, persistence.

“I’ve had some where they’ve tried their hardest to drive me away,” Burke said. “And I’ve told them: ‘You can’t do anything to make me leave.’

“For the most part the kids do appreciate someone being there for them. They might not always show it, though, because they are still teenagers,” she added, with a knowing smile.