Mike Reach has been with the CASA program for one year. He works as a business unit manager in a steel processing center. When he isn’t working or advocating for children, Mike enjoys fitness, hiking, and sports. He also likes music, house projects, and spending time with his family. Mike decided to join the CASA...
“I want to share the love, knowledge and skills I have with the most vulnerable.” Barb Houpt joined CASA as a volunteer in April of this year. As a critical care nurse for the last thirty years, Barb has always been passionate about helping others and giving back to her community. When she isn’t working,...
“I think that all anyone needs sometimes is someone to listen.” Erin Burke is one of our new CASA volunteers who joined out program in June of this year. She is a recent graduate of Purdue University (Boiler up!) and has a degree in pharmaceutical sciences. She plans to pursue law school in the future....
Karen joined the Porter County CASA program around five months ago. She heard about the program through her husband’s work at the Porter County Community Foundation. When she read more about CASA on the website, it struck a chord with her. She says that she often reads in the newspaper about children who are...
Allison Lind joined the Porter County CASA Program in March of 2023. When Allison isn’t supporting children as a CASA, she loves to travel and explore new places. She and her husband have visited nine of the National Parks, and she hopes to visit them all someday! They have family and friends all over...
“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...
Jennifer Arzola became a part of the CASA program in the fall of 2022. When she isn’t actively fulfilling her CASA role, she is a project manager for a technology company where she works to ensure her clients' goals are met by thinking out of the box. She enjoys using her communication skills in...
“Being a CASA allows me the opportunity to watch human growth unfold.” Debra Nelson has been part of Porter County CASA since 2019. Before joining the program, she was in the education field as a speech/language pathologist, a special education teacher, and a special education administrator for programming for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In...
“I felt like I needed to take some kind of action instead of just feeling sad.” Lani Fisher joined the CASA program in the fall of 2021. When she isn’t busy with her job as an executive assistant at a local church, she really enjoys staying active. Hiking at the Dunes is one of...
“The CASA program is a great fit and perfectly aligns with my character.” Duane Dibble joined the CASA program in January 2022. Outside his CASA life, he is an independent consultant working with investment companies, primarily family offices, to improve their back-office operations. He has worked in the operations area of multiple investment companies for...
