"She made me feel a lot better. She was my best friend." That's how Abby, who grew up in and out of the Monterey County, Calif., foster care system, described her Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA. Rather than yield to the anger that once consumed her, Abby sought therapy and worked with her CASA contact to overcome her difficult childhood, according to a recent article in the Monterey County (Calif.) Herald. Anger is a common emotion for young people passed between group homes, foster care and shelters, and the traumas inflicted often scar for life. CASA of Monterey County trains volunteers to become advocates for many such children, helping mitigate some of the negatives youth often internalize after experiencing child abuse or neglect. The goal is to provide some of the county's 500 children in foster care with a responsible adult advocate they can turn to for help and guidance.

"[CASA volunteers] have the power to make a child's world a little more hopeful by helping us do what we need to in order to increase the number of volunteers and get people involved," said Siobhan Greene, executive director of CASA. "It reminds us that everyone can help ... and that's what it takes to heal this kind of hurt in a child's life." One key to the program's success is collaboration between welfare system representatives and CASA volunteers, who may provide more insight or details into the child's life because of the close relationships they form.

Now 20 years old, married and a new mother, Abby says she still keeps in touch with her CASA volunteer. "She just came and visited me last month. She always makes me feel a lot better."