Jesse Harris has been a CASA advocate since 2021. As a mother of 4, she enjoys homeschooling her youngest child and does quite a bit of seasonal photography in her spare time. She, herself, is a member of the recovery community and is a mother who was reunited with her children after addiction. Through CASA, she can now take that experience and serve neglected and abused children while giving back to her community.
Jesse’s first experience with CASA found her with a set of twin sisters who had been removed due to physical neglect in the home. The girls came to Jesse with needs of speech, OT services, learning disorders, and autism. Jesse immediately began reaching out to the girls’ schools, extended relatives, and specialists to glean as much information as possible. She continued this throughout the year she was assigned to the case. Jesse’s dedication and advocating on behalf of these girls, played a significant role in their adoption one year later.
Jesse is currently a CASA advocate to three siblings that she describes “share the sweetest connection”. With four children of her own, Jesse knows the importance of sibling relationships. She facilitates sibling visits for her CASA kids as often as she can, ensuring the family connections to one another remain strong.
All three of her CASA kids look forward to spending time with Jesse. They take pride in showing her their rooms, toys, and even clothing. Jesse often brings gifts from one sibling to the other and loves seeing their excitement. In July of this year, the siblings were granted visitations with one another. Two of the siblings were able to go swimming with one another, such a heartwarming reunion for both! On another occasion, two siblings met and played for two hours at the park!
Jesse continues to visit all three children, taking time to play games and share their worlds with them. She remains the one constant in their lives as their placements sometimes change and they try to find their belonging again. To date, all three siblings are going to soon be reunited during a visit with Jesse. Two of the siblings will soon be in a long awaited foster placement together. Each month brings all of them closer to one another. Jesse knows it takes one consistent and caring adult to make the choice to show up and take notice in order to make a huge difference in how a child experiences the journey through the foster care system. Thank you, Jesse, for showing up!
