Meet Danielle Walker. Danielle has been a CASA advocate since June 2021, after speaking to a CASA advocate at the gym. She was born in Bourg but moved away and lived in Washington DC for fourteen (14) years and then Manhattan for three (3). She came home during the COVID lockdown and has been here ever since. She loves being back home. A majority of her career was spent working in US-African government affairs.

Danielle’s time as an advocate has been spent on a single case with one child. She has spent the last two years advocating for permanency for her CASA child. In her opinion, the child had the best possible outcome which was to be adopted by a family and in the same home as a biological sibling. She stated that a typical month as an advocate changed over the length of the case. Typically, she would be in contact with the foster mother a few times per month and make a monthly visit to stay up to date on the child. When the court date approached, she began working on her court report that was submitted to the court. She would think about the big picture of what’s happened since the last hearing, sketch that out, then fill in details and examples, and then make recommendations. Danielle would then prepare for court by reviewing her case notes to make sure she got all of the questions answered and connecting with her supervisor to make sure all things were in order. Danielle was very successful in her advocacy and in the end, the child’s best interest was served.

Our advocates are everyday members of society. They don’t have any special education or degree relating to social services. The only thing they need is the heart to help children and to complete thirty (30) hours of pre-service training. Danielle, for example, is the co-host of The State of Freedom, a podcast about Louisiana politics from a Christian conservative perspective. She is also an online retail business owner who sells handcrafted jewelry and scarves that are made in Africa. Finally, she is also a member of a precious metal collectors club as a network marketer.

When asked what advice she would give someone who is thinking about becoming a CASA Danielle stated, “There’s no greater or more important investment you can make than the life of a child.” We at CASA of Terrebonne agree wholeheartedly with that statement.