Sarah Fink goes above and beyond for the Northwest Indiana community. She is the program director for the Porter County CASA Program. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, in which volunteers are appointed by judges to watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children. They stay with each case until it is closed and the child is placed in a safe and permanent home. For many children, their CASA volunteer is the one constant adult presence in their life.
In 2011, Fink was walking out of a local YMCA one day with her friend. Her friend had just adopted a child and said her CASA really helped her out, and told Fink she would be a great CASA volunteer and should look into it. Fink started out as a volunteer and in 2016, she was approached for a part-time staff advocate for the CASA Program. Now, she has risen to become program director, where she continues to pursue her passion for helping children.
“I feel grateful at this point in my life, having already had the good fortune of devoting my time and training in the service of young people through the disciplines of music and teaching, to have this opportunity to provide leadership for a program that I so passionately believe in,” said Fink. “Promoting and advocating for the interests and well-being of children is meaningful and instinctive to me, and whether unofficially, or professionally, it has always been part of what I do and am about.”
Fink says children don’t have a voice themselves and that it’s great that the judge asks someone to specifically look out for the child.
“These children need to be given the best opportunity, because they already have disadvantages coming from the situations they are in," said Fink. "They don’t have a voice because they’re too young. They need representation because they are our future. The CASA is in a unique situation with the role we have been given by the court and by the magistrate. They find a lot about the child and what their needs are and I think that’s very valuable to the judge."
Fink says it’s rewarding and easy to stand up and speak out for kids.
“I love kids, they are resilient, and I have a special place in my heart for kids," said Fink. "They have so much potential. I have the passion, the energy and the love for kids to do this. CASA is central to fulfilling society’s most fundamental obligation by making sure a qualified, compassionate adult will fight for and protect a child’s right to be safe, to be treated with dignity and respect and to learn and grow in a safe embrace of a loving family. This is a tangible way of being hands and feet in the world for good."
CASA brings volunteers together with a shared passion of helping children.
“We are a family here. We have our challenges, but we have a tremendous sense of purpose and unity. We can balance our cases with perspective. These are people that take private time out of their lives to be with people and I am grateful for them stepping forward and making a difference,” said Fink.
Fink said she wants to continue to pursue her passion in the community she loves.
“I know from first-hand experience through the relationships I have formed in this community over the last two decades of raising a family here, that we have a unique 'village' of dedicated and caring individuals, families, and businesses can do a lot to support the needs of children and their futures,” said Fink.