Each month, CASA of Northeast Oklahoma celebrates the advocacy of one of our CASA volunteers. This month, we are highlighting the service of Kris Wilkins. Kris has served as a volunteer advocate a year and a half.
Wilkins is self-employed, running her own medical planning and interior design business. In addition to her business, Wilkins and her husband, Clint, maintain their own cattle business. Wilkins enjoys the flexibility she has with her schedule because it allows her to serve others and volunteer. Her family attends Cowboy Junction Church in Vinita and Wilkins volunteer in the school and helps with VBS.
When it comes to her CASA service, Wilkins is thankful for the support she receives from her Advocate Coordinators. “Often times, I just stop by the office and tell them what is happening in my case,” Wilkins said. “They are so helpful and they’ve seen everything so they know what to do.” The initial CASA volunteer training was great, but as Wilkins says, “it’s nice to be able to rely on the office so much.”
Wilkins finds her rewards in the kids from the cases she serves. “There is so much neglect… My biggest excitement will be when the kids on my case can talk and verbalize their wants and needs. After being deprived, watching them develop and thrive in a nurturing environment is the greatest gift of all.” Wilkins takes her role seriously. She wants the kids to have confidence in her presence. Many of the people involved in these deprived cases come and go. Wilkins said, “I want them to know I will be the constant presence in their life. They may change foster homes or DHS workers, but I will be there.” That type of consistency is rare for these children, yet it may be the most important aspect of their future success.
Wilkins has a huge heart. One of the biggest challenges in volunteering is trying to focus solely on the child. We all want to help and fix everyone involved. Wilkins does her best to help the entire family while keeping the child first. “It’s challenging yet rewarding. You can have such an impact on a child’s life. You can provide such a wealth of resources to impact the kids and family.”
CASA of Northeast Oklahoma needs more extraordinary volunteers, like Kris Wilkins, who are willing to serve the most vulnerable children in our community. If you have a heart for children and volunteering like Wilkins, do not hesitate to call our office at 918-923-7276. There are new volunteer trainings throughout the year so you can start immediately.
CASA of Northeast Oklahoma CASA of Northeastern Oklahoma is a CASA agency that recruits, trains, and supports community volunteers to be the “voice” for abused and neglected children in the judicial system. With offices in Claremore and Miami, the organization supports CASA volunteers in five counties in northeastern Oklahoma – Rogers, Mayes, Craig, Ottawa, and Delaware Counties. The agency also serves the courts of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma. Child Advocates of Northeastern Oklahoma is a member agency of the Ottawa County United Way. People interested in learning more about CASA can find information about on the agency’s website: http://cano-casa.com/. To support the work of our CASA volunteers, go to http://cano-casa.com/ways- to-give and click on the “donate” button.
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