CASA November 2021 Spotlight Volunteer
By Jahi McDonald, CASA of Union County
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) has named Phyllis Dunlop of Cranford their November Spotlight Volunteer.
After spending your entire life working toward the betterment of those less fortunate, one would think retirement would be the start to some much-deserved “me time.” If you’re Phyllis, you’d be wrong.
If there’s one thing to know about Phyllis – and really, there is so much to know – it’s that she consistently puts her community and the needs of those within it first and foremost. After seeing a recruitment advertisement in The Star-Ledger, Phyllis heeded the call and trained as a CASA volunteer. In fact, this month marks five years since she was sworn by a judge and officially began her advocate journey.
Her first case was an 11-year-old boy whose father had been recently released from prison and, as she puts it, he was “moving heaven and earth to be reunified with his son.” She admits that making the initial phone call was among her most difficult challenges as a CASA volunteer. “After many pep talks to myself, I made the call. He was understandably suspicious of what I wanted but after we spoke and I told him I had his son’s back, we formed a good relationship. After having the case only three months, the two were reunited.” She offers up this thoughtful piece of advice for other advocates unnerved by those first steps. “Always remember that no matter who you have to make your case to, you are there for the child.”
It wasn’t until the end of her second case, however, that Phyllis felt she truly understood the level of fulfillment to be found in being a CASA volunteer. Assigned to advocate for a pair of brothers who ultimately were adopted, she says the depth and breadth of her work and her presence in the lives of these boys clicked in a singular moment: “I was asked to be in the family photograph taken at the second boy’s adoption ceremony. At that point, I knew I had made a difference.”
Phyllis’ advocacy work has led to her impacting the lives of five young boys in as many years. Interestingly, Phyllis notes that at the outset, she believed she’d be better-suited to working with girls. “Never having had a son or a brother, I expressed I’d be more comfortable with girls. Yet, I’ve had all boys from ages three to 12 and it has been great! I’ve learned a lot.”
Phyllis comes from a career in the nonprofit sector, from raising funds for higher education, museums, and food insecurity, to advancing causes like mental health and animal welfare – and, yes, even child advocacy. Phyllis spent time as a beloved member of #TeamCASA, working on the development side of the agency, even while actively advocating for her youth as a volunteer advocate. She’s eloquent, well-versed and articulate (and the grammarian in her may point out all three flirt dangerously with redundancy). Indeed, Phyllis is no grammateur. In fact, she and a likeminded former CASA colleague often shared Office Grammando responsibilities.
Whether professionally or personally, Phyllis continues to devote herself outside of the dictionary to her community and the greater glocal community, ensuring impact whenever possible These include roles as chair of the Mission Committee of her church, The First Presbyterian Church of Cranford, organizing mission trips to Nicaragua and Brazil.
When she does take time to sit and relax, she’s reading – not a member of one book club but three! – and, of course, spending time with her husband. Oh, and the abundance of cats they love. For Phyllis, life seems rich with giving, loving and learning, the latter of which includes a love of travel and all the world has to offer, something she’s eager to pick up again. “I love to travel and am looking forward to the pandemic restrictions being lifted so I can do that again,” she admits.
We’re guessing that when such freedoms ring, you very well could find her embedded and dancing amid masses of crowd-goers at a Bruce Springsteen concert. With her go-to soundtrack classic rock, the New Jersey native is one of her favorites. In fact, says Phyllis, she’s even rubbed shoulders with him during her 10-year tenure with the Community Food Bank of New Jersey – a nonprofit for whom the singer is a known supporter.
It’s likely no surprise, given Phyllis’ passion for life, tapping into all it offers and all it asks of us, that she comes from altruistic parents whose upbringing seems to be a lasting gift, a legacy for all those that cross her path. Phyllis admits her favorite quote for inspiration is actually the first line of the Prayer of St. Francis: “Lord make me an instrument of your peace.”
(This writer notes he may or may not have had to delete an addendum to the St. Francis prayer quote above, as Phyllis’ former colleague may or may not have taken advantage the writer’s empty desk chair for a moment and change the last sentence to read: “Lord make me an instrument of your peace [and good grammar].)
Seems to us that between the two guiding forces, she’s pretty well got this life thing figured out, and will continue to guide and support any youth that heads her way into their own altruistic direction and meaningful existence.
There are more youth like Phyllis’s awaiting their own CASA volunteer. The need is real, and so is the opportunity to change a life. Will you become a CASA volunteer for a Union County youth living in foster care through no fault of their own? Learn more by contacting Lucia at lfield@casaofunioncounty.org.
In addition to serving as a fall marketing intern for CASA of Union County, Jahi McDonald is a 2020 graduate of Rutgers University-New Brunswick, with plans to begin a career in public relations and marketing.
