Meet Amanda Reeves Gregory. Amanda has been an advocate for a little over a year. She was sworn in October 2022. In this short time, she has advocated for three children in two different cases. She has been a positive influence on both of her cases. She has been married to Nick Gregory for 9 years and they have three boys ages 2, 5, and 7. Also in the mix is a mini golden doodle named Oscar.  She is currently a stay-at-home mom. She is the keeper of the organized chaos that they call life. In her spare time, she loves to read. She also enjoys playing tennis, doing Pilates and being with family. Amanda was born and raised in Houma, La. She has also lived in Ruston, New Orleans, and Houston. Amanda’s mother was on the board of CASA of Terrebonne and went through the training class. After learning about CASA from her mom it seemed like a perfect fit for Amanda who always looked for ways to help children in the community. Amanda not only has a bachelor’s degree, she is also a licensed cosmetologist.

Amanda says that her CASA monthly schedule is not very overwhelming. She makes visits once a month with her CASA children. She also stays in touch with them by phone or FaceTime. She communicates with the other parties of the case via text or phone for updates and to keep the lines of communication open. When it is time to prepare for court she makes sure she has the most up-to-date understanding of all aspects. She likes to have an idea of what may happen when she goes to court, though she understands you will never know for sure. She stated that her greatest accomplishment so far was actually signing up and completing training. After that first big step, everything else was easy. And in the moments that it’s not so easy, it’s worth it.

The advice that Amanda would give to anyone who is thinking about becoming a CASA volunteer is  “to take that first step, sign up, and take the classes. You can always change your mind after you've completed your training, but she doubts you will because by then you'll realize the opportunity you have to make a difference in a child's life. If joining CASA is something you've had on your heart, take the chance. The staff at CASA is amazing and walks you through it every step of the way.”