CASA Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Debbie Gorski
“I want to be a CASA to make a positive difference, even a little one, in a child’s life. It is the best feeling knowing that I have a chance to do that.”
Debbie Gorski completed her CASA Volunteer Training in the fall of 2019. Debbie expressed, “I’m the proud mother of two daughters and have always enjoyed actively volunteering in children–orientated organizations. I was the Association Manager for the Singing Sands Girl Scouts, an officer for the school’s PTA, and involved in the Moose Baton and Drum Corps. My daughters have grown up, but I’ve continued being involved with my wonderful granddaughter’s pursuits in dance, singing, and theater.” For nearly 20 years, Debbie owned and managed two Stride Rite Children’s Shoe Stores, and before COVID-19 and for the past 20 years, she was the Lead Sales Associate for the Big Ticket Department at Macy’s.
When asked what drew her to CASA volunteering, Debbie said, “Thinking back, it was probably no accident (more of a Hallmark “Godwink” moment) that Sarah [the CASA program director] came to my church one Sunday and gave an excellent presentation about the CASA program. She definitely captured my interest. Late one evening, I phoned my daughter in Oregon and told her I was thinking about the program. I was still hesitant, but she was very enthusiastic for me to give it a try. She reminded me that one of her friends, that I had met and liked, was a CASA. Then, right while we were talking, she looked it up on her computer and found an informational meeting for me to go to in a couple of weeks. She kept calling me to make certain I would actually attend.”
After Debbie started training, she encountered another great coincidence when she needed to borrow a computer to submit some practice reports. To her surprise, her good friend, Darlene, was a CASA volunteer and serving on the Volunteer Advisory Group.
Debbie expressed that, “I want to be a CASA to make a positive difference, even a little one, in a child’s life. It is the best feeling knowing that I have a chance to do that.” She added that an additional joy is “working with and being supported by the greatest, most dedicated, and fun people like Sarah, Cissie, Emily, Robin, Regina, Jean, and Cecilia.”
Thank you, Debbie!
In honor of Rose Butler who was a CASA volunteer, and who further supported the mission of CASA as a staff member supervising and mentoring many of our volunteers, we are featuring one CASA volunteer each month who is making a difference in the lives of children in Porter County.
