Hardly the Retiring Type Advocating for Children

Hardly the Retiring Type Advocating for Children

By Megan Catherwood

Christy Willis

In her golden years of retirement, Fauquier resident Christy Willis is able to ride her horse, Cahoots, most days. She’s been riverrafting in the Grand Canyon, horseback-riding in Portugal, and rejoiced in her stepson’s recent wedding.

She’s also had ten children—that is ten children assigned to her as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA).

Willis serves as a “CASA,” as program volunteers are known, in Fauquier, Rappahannock, and Warren counties. This makes her one in a nationwide army of 93,225 citizen soldiers trained to be the voice of children who have experienced abuse or neglect. CASA Children’s Intervention Services, the nonprofit she’s affiliated with, is one of 27 such programs in Virginia and 950 throughout the U.S. The local organization also serves Prince William County.

In 2014, Willis, as 30-year director of disability support services at George Washington University, took early retirement to care for and be with her late husband, who was in ill health and later passed away.

In addition to now finding fulfillment in helping children, Willis discovered CASA to be an extremely satisfying career extension.

“I’m drawn to the idea of bringing people together for the best interests of the child, the piece of my past work that I always loved the most,” Willis said. “The DSS (Department of Social Services) workers in particular, they are so overworked and have massive amounts of territory to cover. The level of their commitment is mindboggling.”

Each of her cases has presented differently, but all center on the goal of family reunification. Willis routinely interacts with parents who, with court oversight, work to remedy situations that brought their children into foster care so they can safely be returned home.

“It’s always been clear that these parents love their children,” she said. “Even when I’ve made suggestions to the court that were not in accord with parents’ desires, I’ve been able to establish good working relationships and provide them with encouragement that’s always well-received.”

The children have all been extremely polite and perceptive, Willis noted.

“Certainly, the trauma does filter through. Often they’ve had to be the parent, so there can be a certain maturity. I’ve come to realize the importance of just being there, with all the changes in personnel and placements. You may think, ‘oh, am I really making a difference’ and then a child will recollect some small

thing you did for them. It makes you realize it’s all very worthwhile. Overall, you just do your best to gather as much detail as you can about the child’s situation to pull the story line together so the judge can make a well-informed decision.”

Personality traits are more critical than any particular background, Willis said. “It’s really important to be able to step outside yourself and be a neutral, non-judging party. We’re trained to engage in all these relationships and establish trust, but also to be able to step back and just observe.”

CASA Executive Director Lori Battistoni, a former child advocacy attorney, counts Willis among the program’s best advocates.

“Christy doesn’t shy from tough cases and works hard to provide a balanced, unbiased perspective. She does a remarkable job of collaborating and communicating with everyone involved in her cases while maintaining the independence that’s unique to our role.”

Even in the seemingly idyllic Northern Piedmont area, Willis has learned “there is a lot of poverty hidden in these hills.”

Bound by strict confidentiality rules,Willis nevertheless has found anonymous ways for locals to assist. When an appliance broke during the early days of the pandemic and the single, minimum wageearning mother had no way to do laundry, Willis coordinated with her builder-contractor neighbor and the case social worker to deliver a used washer. On occasion, Willis has picked up groceries from Seven Loaves to bring on home visits, appreciating the food pantry’s generous no-questions-asked response.

“I find joy in the work that I do,” Christy Willis said. “I’m so pleased I found CASA.”