CASA Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Joe Yast
“The idea of helping kids in a bad situation get into a good situation is what I hope to achieve as a CASA volunteer.”
Joe Yast is a retired business litigation attorney with forty years of practice. He represented individuals, partnerships, small companies, and large companies in a variety of disputes in both State and Federal Courts across the country, though he primarily worked in Illinois and Indiana. Some of his areas of practice were contract, lease, business tort, fraud, defamation, racketeering, unfair trade practices, securities law, franchise law, and consumer protection law.
Since retiring, Joe has been catching up on his reading, mostly non-fiction with some classic fiction thrown in for good measure. When the weather cooperates, he takes 25-mile bike rides in the country. He appreciates a good red wine, and he has an extensive collection, although he says, “It’s hard to keep it intact!” Joe is lucky enough to have his own “personal chef,’ his wife Helen, who enjoys preparing recipes from all over the world. In the cold months, he enjoys cross-country skiing and travelling out West to downhill ski with friends and also his three young granddaughters. Joe and Helen love to travel but have tapered off some since the pandemic.
Joe became part of the Porter County CASA program in March of 2023. He read an article in the Chicago Tribune about a need for CASA volunteers in Kane County, Illinois. He was inspired to look into the Porter County CASA program so he could help closer to home. One week after being sworn in, he was assigned his first case. He wanted to accomplish something useful with his free time, and he felt like the combination of helping kids and being in the justice system was a good fit for him.
Since joining CASA, Joe says he has learned that there are many people in our county who live in dysfunctional circumstances, and he can truly appreciate the life he has lived. He says, “The real world in which so many people live shouldn’t, but does, come to me as a shock. Endemic problems that our governments aren’t solving, let alone a single CASA on a single case. I just hope that my efforts on behalf of one child improve that child’s life, and thus improves the world at least a little.” He often thinks of what Mother Teresa once said: “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
Joe says he considers the CASAs who have worked and continue to work cases that are complex and have overwhelming issues to be true heroes. They diligently endeavor to help the children in their cases and advocate for them fiercely until the end of the case. We agree, Joe, and we’re thrilled to welcome you and your tenacity to Porter County CASA!
