‘I wanted to provide guidance to help a less-fortunate child.’
By Caroline Mueller, CASA of Union County
All CASA cases are unique and come with their own challenges and rewards, and Janice Beckmen of Summit can speak to this unique balance. A court appointed special advocates for foster youth (CASA) volunteer for two and a half years, she’s dedicated to the nine-year-old boy relying on her – even when it’s not easy work.
Janice understood the ins and outs of what being an advocate means, and reminds herself that that young boy she works with comes from a tough background, as many CASA youth do. Still, she’s consistent in her drive and efforts to build and maintain a good rapport with him, building on it each time they connect. And, she adds, the little moments of smiles and satisfaction where the duo goes swimming together, eats a meal – preferably pepperoni and pineapple pizza, of course – make all the dogged perseverance absolutely worthwhile.
For the mother of three, a 25-year-old and 21-year-old twins, it was when her children were wrapping up college and deciding on post-grad landing spots that she knew her time as an empty-nester would be best spent helping others, and she wanted that to be a vulnerable youth. “I wanted to provide guidance to help a less fortunate child”, she quipped.
After leaving her long-time Wall Street career to care for her young children, she also began getting involved in multiple community organizations. The current member of the Board of Trustees at The Pingry School in Basking Ridge has also held board posts at SEEDS Access in Newark and Bridges Outreach in Summit. SEEDS Access provides high-achieving, low-income middle- and high-school students access to enhanced educational programming, and Bridges Outreach works to alleviate homelessness in Newark, Irvington, and lower Manhattan.
Notice a common thread in most of Janice’s volunteer work? That’s right, it’s education. After training to become a CASA Volunteer, Janice requested a case where she could work with a child whose needs included educational support. Turns out, the child is doubly fortunate – not only does he have Janice in his education corner (and elsewhere, of course!), a close family friend of his paternal grandmother knows more about educational advocacy in the Union County School District than Janice could have hoped for – so between the pair, he has an excellent individualized education plan (IEP) and services in place at school and together his “advocacy team” work to ensure it remains that way and, in fact, gets better any way it can.
In her spare time, Janice enjoys keeping her mind sharp playing bridge and, more recently, Mah Jongg – a hobby she’s finding herself quite competitive about! She enjoys watching basketball games of her alma mater, Duke University, and she and husband Jeff enjoy hunkering down together for some challenging episodes of Jeopardy. (No word on how competitive she gets with him, though. Jeff, you want to chime in?) She’s also got her trusty labradoodle Sadie to keep her on her toes.
Janice’s work as a CASA Volunteer has challenged and taught her more than she expected, especially about the court system. “As a CASA for more than two years on one case, I feel as though I know all of the particular details, but time in the courtroom doesn’t always permit my contribution and additional insight,” she remarked. Still, the judges hearing CASA cases are quick to ensure all advocates during their swearing in that the CASA reports are among the first things they look at before stepping onto the bench. Whether she’s vocal in the moment, or silently ensuring what needs to be done gets done, Janice’s hard work is paying off! She shares, despite what he’s been through and that he’s not yet in a permanent placement, she is seeing him excel and, she quips, “He is currently living his best life!”
There are more youth like Janice’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 foster youth? Contact our team to learn more at info@casaofunioncounty.org.
