This month, Child Advocates is spotlighting CASA Vivian Dang for her commitment to going above and beyond for our foster youth.
CASA Volunteer: Vivian Dang, she/her
Years of Service with Child Advocates of Silicon Valley: 1
Number of Children Served: 1
A Part of the Child Advocates Team
Born and raised in San Jose, Vivian has always loved living in the Bay Area and being a part of an amazing community full of diverse cultures and people. In 2024, she joined the Child Advocates of Silicon Valley team as their Special Events & Community Partnership Manager, helping plan and execute some of Child Advocates’ biggest events, like the Black, White, and Pink Ball and the O’Leary Golf Classic.
During her time at Child Advocates, she’s been happy to support and step in where her team needs her, including joining the DEI committee and supporting the community drives by facilitating partnerships with organizations big and small.
Just one year later, in 2025, Vivian deepened her commitment to helping foster youth by making the decision to become a Court Appointed Child Advocate (CASA), after hearing there was a need for a Vietnamese-speaking CASA for one of the organization’s unmatched foster youth cases.
“I grew up translating for my parents, filling them in on school and what’s going on in the outside world, and just culturally speaking, helping them navigate through life. But for a family that doesn’t have that kind of support, I felt like it was my time to step up and volunteer, because I knew what it would be like if my parents didn’t have that kind of support when I was growing up.”
Advocacy in Action
Vivian has been meeting with her youth, Daniel—a smart, independent 8-year-old— since last summer. Together, they enjoy attending Child Advocates foster youth events, like ice skating, and making visits to the Tech Museum for STEM learning opportunities. Witnessing how much their little interactions matter to him and getting to spend quality time together has become her favorite part of volunteering with Daniel.
Through their time together, she has been able to learn more about Daniel, and that knowledge has empowered her to advocate for ways to keep his mind and body active.
“He’s a really smart kid, and he really likes school. But there are times when he’s at school, and it’s a little too easy for him. So I’ve looked for other things and let the social worker know that he needs a little bit more stimulation in his life, so we’re currently looking at more active activities for him—basketball, hockey, and martial arts.”
Creating Connections to Vietnamese Culture
With a shared Vietnamese background, Vivian is committed to keeping him connected to his culture. As the Lunar New Year approaches, she is putting together a list of Vietnamese New Year traditions that he can experience with her or his placement family. She’s excited to create these connections for Daniel and be that consistent Vietnamese adult he can depend on in his life.
“In Vietnamese families, there’s always a consistent adult in the home at all times. It could be the grandma or the grandpa, but there’s always someone in the house. And so I felt like, now, as a foster youth, he doesn’t have that kind of stability, and neither do a lot of other kids. As a culture, we value spending a lot of time with family. And so I think that bringing that back to him is really important.”
*An alias was used to protect the privacy of the child.
FUN FACTS:
TV Show Recommendation(s): The Vampire Diaries
Favorite Movie: MCU movies and Wicked Part 1 &2
Currently Reading: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Favorite Music Artist: Ariana Grande
Favorite Type of Food: Cơm tấm
Favorite Place: My Room
Favorite Hobbies: Reading, Going to the Movies, Iceskating, Brunching with friends
Support Foster Youth Today
Here are just a few of the ways you can SHOW UP for foster youth this month:
- Take the first step to advocating for foster youth. Attend an informational session to learn more about becoming a CASA Volunteer.
- Support our CASA Program and invest in our foster youth with a financial contribution. You can also check with your company to see if they match employee donations.
- Become a Corporate Champion by sponsoring an activity or one of our fundraising events. Email us at development@childadvocatessv.org to learn how your company can be a part of the solution for foster kids.
- Follow us on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.