2006 Recipients: Barbara Anderson and Tim Dierker
Barbara Anderson
Barbara has been a ProKids CASA for six years. During this time, she has served on two cases that were each open for at least 5 years. Throughout the span of these cases, Barbara has been the only consistent adult figure in the lives of the 5 children involved.
Barbara’s first case involved three children whom the county had decided could remain with the mother while the mother received treatment for substance abuse and help with parenting skills. On Barbara’s first home visit, she found the children-ages 8,6, and 2-home alone. On subsequent visits she found the house in barely livable condition, with unidentified adults hanging out on the front stoop, and the children not in school. Not satisfied with the county’s decision to allow the children to remain in their mother’s care, Barbara spearheaded the initiative to remove them. She soon found herself testifying in court to get the children moved to a safe place. Her efforts proved successful and the children were placed in a foster home.
Unfortunately, on her first visit to the foster home, Barbara was appalled to find the house filthy and the children without their own beds. Within a week they were going to school dirty. Barbara voiced her concerns to the caseworker and the foster parent. When nothing changed, Barbara fought for and received a court order to have the children moved to a better home. Being who she is, Barbara didn’t stop there. Instead, she signed up for foster parent classes to learn firsthand the expectations and licensing requirements of foster parents. From now on she would KNOW what was expected from a foster home.
For the next 41/2 years Barbara never wavered in her belief that these children deserved more. She never wavered in challenging everyone on the case to do better. Eventually, the children returned to their mother. They may never know all that Barbara did to keep them safe while they were in the child protection system, but their lives were forever touched by Barbara’s loving care and advocacy.
In 2002 Barbara took a second case, involving 2 young, medically fragile boys. The brothers had been removed from their mother’s care because of her inability and disinterest in taking care of their medical needs. Barbara attended medical appointments with a variety of specialists to learn more about the boys’ condition, and supported the boys in their foster home. She was instrumental in making sure the boys received necessary services, including help at school.
The boys had been living-and flourishing-in their foster home for two years, with foster parents who wanted to adopt them, when the county abruptly moved them to a new foster home. The boys were devastated. They had been praying to God for a “forever” home and thought they had found it. When they were taken from this home, the boys sadly remarked that they no longer believed in God.
Barbara looked into the circumstances of the move and found there was no reason the boys couldn’t return. She sprang into action. Due to Barbara’s efforts, the boys were placed back in the original foster home and this past April, their adoption by this loving family became final.
In addition to being a CASA, Barbara has helped ProKids is many other ways. She assists with recruitment of volunteers, participates in the diversity focus group, speaks on behalf of ProKids, and each year is an integral volunteer at the auction. Barbara challenges all of us at ProKids and within the system to refuse to accept anything less than 100% for every child.
Tim Dierker
Tim has been a CASA since September 2002. His first case involved a 7-year-old boy named Bobby. At the time Tim met him, Bobby was living with his mother and siblings in a broken down car. His mother abused drugs and his father took his sons along to steal things. Bobby had suffered severe sexual abuse. He and his siblings were malnourished, and none of the 4 children were in school.
Eventually, all the siblings were adopted except Bobby, who had severe mental and psychological issues-caused by his abuse-that created problems finding him a permanent home. Bobby went through 9 placements because foster parents found him too disruptive.
While four caseworkers have come and gone, Tim is still there for Bobby-the only consistent positive force in his life. Tim has researched Bobby’s problems to understand them better. He takes Bobby to dinner, goes on outings with him, and spends time listening and talking to him. The two have formed a powerful bond.
Due to Tim’s advocacy, Bobby is now in a residential treatment facility that’s helping him work through his issues. In June a family is adopting Bobby. Bobby knows that Tim will be there for him as long as Bobby needs him, that Tim will not rest easy until Bobby is in a safe, permanent and nurturing home.
Tim’s second case involved a 9-year-old boy named Johnny who was mentally and emotionally abused by both parents as they battled through a destructive divorce. Johnny’s mother gave Johnny to his father to take care of, and his father dropped him off at Jobs and Family Services saying, “Here, you take him.” Johnny was moved several times in foster care and Tim was the only stable force in his life. Tim advocated for Johnny’s mother to receive services that allowed her to learn to live differently and parent her child. Once she completed the services, Johnny was able to return home.
Tim is also the CASA for Stan, who was 12 when Tim was assigned his case in 2004. Stan had been removed from his home because his mother was addicted to drugs, and his father was in jail. Abused throughout his young life, Stan had been left to fend for himself. Tim’s first visit was to a psych ward, which had been Stan’s “home” for the previous eight months. There were no plans to get Stan out of the hospital, and no plans for his future.
Tim learned that Stan was on eight different drugs-practically sedated in an attempt to control his behavior. The first thing Tim did was ask some tough questions: Why so many different medications? Why such high dosages? Then Tim did in depth research-looking up each medication and learning about each drug’s interaction with the others. Tim challenged the rest of Stan’s team, including the doctor, to modify Stan’s medication. He was the major force in the doctor’s decision to cut Stan’s medications from eight to four. Stan slowly began to bloom.
For most of his life Stan had been in a “special” school. With Tim’s help, by 2005 he was able to fulfill his dream of attending a “regular” school with “regular” kids. Today Stan is doing well. He’s on target academically, and has not exhibited the behavioral problems he struggled with before Tim came into his life. Stan is able to be the “regular” kid he has always wanted to be. Tim is truly the epitome of everything a CASA should be.