Meet CASA Volunteer, Jim Thorne

Jim Thorne was first introduced to Child Advocates by an Undoing Racism Speakers Series event that was hosted at his church by Child Advocates.  He knew his wife was interested in the program, so he decided to join her.  It wasn’t long after that Jim and Jayne had decided to go through the volunteer training program together. That was in May 2016.

Two years later, Jim is still very active as a volunteer at Child Advocates.  He often attends workshops and continuing education courses to enhance his volunteer experience.  He enjoys volunteering alongside his wife and sharing experiences with her. “I give my wife a lot of credit,” said Jim, “I really learn a lot from our conversations about being volunteers with Child Advocates and the children we serve.”

Though they share conversations about their experience, Jim and Jayne are assigned to different cases with different children.

Jim was assigned his first case in 2016, which involved a little boy, only 3 years old at the time.  For privacy purposes, we will call him Evan.  He was removed from his home and placed with a relative so that he would have necessary food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education and supervision in a drug-free environment. This was the best place for him to also receive all needed care, treatment, and rehabilitation.   After a long and complex history, the court ruled that the child was best placed with third-party custody/guardianship placement with that relative—in this case, his aunt.

Jim’s role throughout the process was to be the child’s voice in the court.  As a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteer Jim made monthly home visits to ensure Evan was well cared for, receiving all needed services, and had a stable home environment.  Jim attended quarterly court hearings and shared his observations and recommendations with the court.

“Evan is a rambunctious, energetic little boy.  He does well in school and makes friends with ease. It has been rewarding advocating for him. With the court’s final decision, my advocacy for Evan is complete but my wishes for his development and future continue,” said Jim.

Jim is retired following a long career in business plus sixteen years as a leadership consultant and executive coach.  He is a husband, father, grandfather, active in church and an advocate for children.  He’s making a difference every day in the community and we’re thankful he’s chosen Child Advocates as the organization to do so.

To learn more about becoming a CASA Volunteer or supporting Child Advocates, please visit www.childadvocates.net or call 317.205.3055