This June, in honor of Pride Month, Child Advocates is spotlighting CASA Hector for his commitment to going above and beyond for our foster youth.
CASA Volunteer: Hector
Years of Service with Child Advocates of Silicon Valley: 7 months
Number of Children Served: 2
Inspired to Act
As waves of ICE raids and riots rolled across the country over the last year, Hector, a busy interior designer by trade, found himself compelled to act in support of his Latinx community. As news of families being separated filled the headlines, he began to ask who was taking care of the children left behind—a question that led him to Child Advocates of Silicon Valley. “Little did I know there was such a need for gay Latino males to be a part of this organization, and so I’m really happy that it all worked out,” says Hector.
In December, Hector was sworn in as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and dove into mentorship wholeheartedly, becoming the CASA of not just one child, but two brothers, ages 10 and 15.
Double the Impact
Hector and his youths began their journey together as a trio, but he quickly realized they deserved individual time and care so he could provide age-appropriate support.
Ten-year-old Michael is neurodivergent. Seeing his struggles in other areas of his life, Hector made it his priority to model patience and give him the space to show up in their time together exactly as he is, without criticism or pressure to conform.
“I can just let him be who he wants to be,” Hector adds. “I let him be a child more than anything. It’s been really nice to see how he’s blossomed into someone who’s more calm, simply because he feels like he can share that part of himself that I feel was neglected for so long, and he can just be a kid.”
Recently, the pair took a trip to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk—a destination Hector would never have ventured to on his own—which turned out to be a memorable experience for both of them.
“He loved it. He was in the ocean for three hours, and there was not one complaint. It also gave me some time to just be relaxed, to just be there and enjoy the moment. When we’re so rigid, and we have so many things we have to stick to—a schedule and whatnot—they remind you, like, no, you don’t; you can just be here and do this. I was on roller coasters that made me want to throw up, but seeing him there, being lit up, I looked at him, and I asked, ‘You having fun?’ and he just looked up and said, ‘Yeah, I am,’ and that meant so much.”
With 15-year-old Diego, Hector saw a young man growing in maturity who could benefit from the lessons he had to offer. Through practical situations, Hector is helping him become a stronger advocate for himself, while honing executive functioning skills that will set him up for success. When Diego expressed interest in boxing, Hector didn’t just book him lessons; instead, he provided guidance and parameters for researching a studio that would meet his needs, a move that set Diego up to feel confident taking the initiative. A few months later, when he had the opportunity to join a new baseball team, he came to Hector for support already prepared.
“He was able to do all of that advocacy work for himself, which was great. And he just came to me without me even asking and said, ‘Hey, there’s this new team, I want to join. This is when they practice. This is what needs to get filled out. Can you help me get this completed?’ And I was like, ‘Wow, this is awesome that you did this all on your own. I applaud you; this is exactly the type of advocacy that I’m trying to work with you to do.’”
For Hector, building relationships with his youths has proved to be mutually beneficial, sharing, “This volunteer work puts such perspective into life and what’s actually happening, and it’s helped me understand that what really matters are the simple things in life, like picking up my youth and spending some quality time with them. We could go to the park and do absolutely nothing, but just being there for him also helps me out so much. It might sound silly, but it’s so, so, so true.”
Shared Interests for Good: Affinity Groups
Understanding the value of being proactive, Hector also joined two affinity groups to help with recruitment as soon as he was official—the men’s affinity and the Latinx affinity groups.
“Looking at the numbers and the stats for how many kids are in the system and how many of them are really needing a positive male role model as they grow up, I felt it was important to get involved. If I have ideas, I want to be able to voice them, and I want to be able to help in any way possible.”
While Hector only stumbled upon Child Advocates after doing his own searching, he and the men’s affinity group are currently working to lower the barriers to entry for men by connecting directly with other preexisting men’s groups to share information about their work with Child Advocates of Silicon Valley.
His advice to prospective CASAs? “Just sign up and go to a meeting, because it’s honestly that easy … people say, ‘there’s never a right time, it’s never the right opportunity, I never have enough time,’ but just do it anyway, because you’re going to realize how much you actually do have bandwidth to do it, you know? That’s it. I have zero time, and yet I find all the time in the world to do this.”
If you’re ready to take Hector’s advice, sign up to join a virtual info session today! Learn more: https://childadvocatessv.org/volunteer
*Aliases were used to protect the privacy of the children.
FUN FACTS:
TV Show Recommendation(s): The Gilded Age
Favorite Movie: The Family Stone
Currently Reading: Stillness That Speaks
Favorite Music Artist: Taylor Swift
Favorite Type of Food: Mom’s Mexican cooking 😉
Favorite Place: Big Sur
Favorite Hobbies: Inspired by the tenacity and excitement of his foster youth as they try new things, Hector has started taking piano lessons!