CASA Kids: The Innocence of a Self Portrait. When children are asked to look in the mirror and draw what they see, the world they live in is about to be set free. Self-expression is an important part of therapy and essential in beginning the healing process of childhood trauma.
Sponsor a Self Portrait at the CASA Center for Child Victims for $2500
Your sponsorship can be used as a memorial for a loved one or simply to support the CASA Program.
Each self portrait will be made into a canvas with a name plate identifying the sponsor. Only 25 are available.
Each self portrait will be made into a canvas with a name plate identifying the sponsor. Only 25 are available.
The story behind the self portrait: December 2019. Boy age 10, now living with his forever family, playing water polo, something he loves to do.
“Family is not defined by our genes, it is built and maintained through love.”
Ten years ago, a baby was born. The biological mom abandoned him at birth, so his dad was his only family. At 18 months of age, the baby was living in a home with his dad and stepmom. The amount of historical abuse the baby endured is unknown, but what is known is one night, dad got drunk and smacked the baby so hard, he left a hand print on the side of his face. Only out of fear of getting blamed herself, the stepmom took the baby to the pediatrician. Authorities were notified and after further investigation, the baby was placed in foster care.
A CASA Advocate was assigned to the baby’s case who made sure he was placed in a safe, secure and loving home. As he grew, he learned what empathy and compassion felt like and for a year of his young life, he was able to develop like a typical toddler. Dad worked his court-ordered child protection case plan and through counseling and attending domestic violence classes, earned his parental rights back and was reunified with his son, who was now a toddler.
Over the course of the next three years, the little boy was abused, tortured, starved and deprived of necessities by both his dad and stepmom. At age six, one incident resulted in him having a very serious injury. Stepmom reluctantly took the boy to the pediatrician, claiming he had eaten the foam out of his pillow because he was autistic. The little boy’s belly was so distended, and his vital signs were so low, he was air-lifted to a children’s hospital. The doctor’s initial evaluation was the little boy was near death. He had a ruptured organ, was extremely malnourished, and had bruises and cuts in different stages of healing all over his body. Police arrested both the stepmom and dad. Through a lengthy jury trial, a judge found both parents guilty of child abuse and their parental rights were terminated. They both received 10-20 years in jail. The judge noted that this was the worst case of child abuse he had ever seen.
The little boy recovered in the hospital and was released to foster care. He was assigned the same CASA he had three years earlier. She fought for what permanent home would be best for him and worked with the school to help him catch-up on his social interaction and education. The boy had never been enrolled at pre-school or had any healthy interactions with children his age. After two months, he was placed in his final foster home, a single mom with a loving heart.
At age seven, the boy was adopted by his foster mom who committed to make his life the best possible. Now, age 10, the boy has a strong, natural athletic ability and is an excellent swimmer and loves playing water polo. He is always smiling and enjoys hanging out with his friends. He does not have a diagnosis of autism. He still exhibits behavioral problems relating to the trauma he experienced and occasionally struggles in social situations. But with a strong support system and the unconditional love of his new family, this child victim has a chance at a happy and healthy life.
North Idaho CASA serves over 500 child victims every year throughout the five northern counties. Last year, 141 of these children were reunified with a parent, 29 were adopted and over 330 are still in foster care. The cycle of abuse can be stopped with the help of your continuous support of the CASA program. Statistically, children with Advocates have better outcomes and are more likely to succeed.
“Family is not defined by our genes, it is built and maintained through love.”
Ten years ago, a baby was born. The biological mom abandoned him at birth, so his dad was his only family. At 18 months of age, the baby was living in a home with his dad and stepmom. The amount of historical abuse the baby endured is unknown, but what is known is one night, dad got drunk and smacked the baby so hard, he left a hand print on the side of his face. Only out of fear of getting blamed herself, the stepmom took the baby to the pediatrician. Authorities were notified and after further investigation, the baby was placed in foster care.
A CASA Advocate was assigned to the baby’s case who made sure he was placed in a safe, secure and loving home. As he grew, he learned what empathy and compassion felt like and for a year of his young life, he was able to develop like a typical toddler. Dad worked his court-ordered child protection case plan and through counseling and attending domestic violence classes, earned his parental rights back and was reunified with his son, who was now a toddler.
Over the course of the next three years, the little boy was abused, tortured, starved and deprived of necessities by both his dad and stepmom. At age six, one incident resulted in him having a very serious injury. Stepmom reluctantly took the boy to the pediatrician, claiming he had eaten the foam out of his pillow because he was autistic. The little boy’s belly was so distended, and his vital signs were so low, he was air-lifted to a children’s hospital. The doctor’s initial evaluation was the little boy was near death. He had a ruptured organ, was extremely malnourished, and had bruises and cuts in different stages of healing all over his body. Police arrested both the stepmom and dad. Through a lengthy jury trial, a judge found both parents guilty of child abuse and their parental rights were terminated. They both received 10-20 years in jail. The judge noted that this was the worst case of child abuse he had ever seen.
The little boy recovered in the hospital and was released to foster care. He was assigned the same CASA he had three years earlier. She fought for what permanent home would be best for him and worked with the school to help him catch-up on his social interaction and education. The boy had never been enrolled at pre-school or had any healthy interactions with children his age. After two months, he was placed in his final foster home, a single mom with a loving heart.
At age seven, the boy was adopted by his foster mom who committed to make his life the best possible. Now, age 10, the boy has a strong, natural athletic ability and is an excellent swimmer and loves playing water polo. He is always smiling and enjoys hanging out with his friends. He does not have a diagnosis of autism. He still exhibits behavioral problems relating to the trauma he experienced and occasionally struggles in social situations. But with a strong support system and the unconditional love of his new family, this child victim has a chance at a happy and healthy life.
North Idaho CASA serves over 500 child victims every year throughout the five northern counties. Last year, 141 of these children were reunified with a parent, 29 were adopted and over 330 are still in foster care. The cycle of abuse can be stopped with the help of your continuous support of the CASA program. Statistically, children with Advocates have better outcomes and are more likely to succeed.