A note from Executive Director Stephanie Sheler:
I have a small, handwritten sign in my office that says, “Be the Buffalo.” The other day when my nephew stopped by, he pointed to it and asked what it meant. I had to think for a moment—because it’s a simple phrase that carries a lot of weight.
Here’s how I explained it.
When buffalo sense a storm coming, they don’t turn away from it. They turn toward it and move straight through. By facing the storm head-on, they spend less time in the wind and rain and get through it more quickly.
That idea has stayed with me—not as a fun fact about animals, but as a way of understanding hard things in life.
When I think about children and families impacted by abuse and neglect, “storm” feels like exactly the right word. The child welfare system is overwhelming, unpredictable, and frightening. And for these children, the storm is already here. The only way out is through.
But going through a storm alone is awful. It’s isolating. It’s confusing. It’s dealing with adult decisions you didn’t choose, without the tools or power to make sense of them. No child should have to do that by themselves.
That’s where CASA of Kent County comes in.
Our volunteer advocates walk alongside children as they move through the storm. They make sure each child’s voice is heard in a system that can otherwise feel overwhelming.
You can be part of this too.
By volunteering, giving, or simply sharing our mission, you help ensure that children in our community don’t have to face the storm alone. You help shorten the distance between fear and safety, between uncertainty and stability.
Sometimes the most important thing we can do is turn toward the storm and walk through it with someone else.
Thank you for being part of this work.
-Stephanie Sheler
Executive Director
This story is featured in the Spring 2026 edition of CASA Connect, CASA of Kent County’s quarterly newsletter. Click here to view a pdf version of the newsletter.
As the CASA staff member in charge of volunteer recruitment, I get a lot of questions about what training is like. So, I decided to find out for myself! I attended all five weeks of training, completed online pre-work, observed a court hearing, and was even sworn in as an officer of the court.
At CASA of Kent County, we embrace five values that drive our work: Be Curious, Forge Community Connections, Strive for Excellence, Take the Next Right Step, and Believe in CASA’s Mission. Earlier this year, Executive Director Stephanie Sheler asked staff members to decorate their doors to represent each of those values. Some were more enthused than others by the thought of arts and crafts, but everyone jumped in with unique ideas of how to represent their assigned value.
Noah* was just fifteen years old when an increasingly tumultuous relationship with his parents escalated. Eventually, they permanently kicked him...
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