08/26/2026
Help us congratulate our ✨August Advocate of the Month✨ Tonie Sikes!
An advocate for eight years, Tonie brings a wealth of experience to her current case. Even when one of the children, a teen, has been hesitant to communicate with her, Tonie has remained patient and consistent. Rather than becoming discouraged, she continues to show up, build trust, and give her teen the time and space needed to feel comfortable with her.
Knowing that her nudges must be gentle, Tonie emailed the teen and in her first email, she said, “I hear you prefer not to return my calls. I understand that. You did not choose me to be your new CASA. That's just one more thing you didn't have a choice in. Here's my side of our situation. I CHOSE YOU. I had a choice.” She also ended each message with a silly joke, such as: What do you call an angry carrot? A steamed veggie!
This has been a beautiful illustration of how an advocate's patience combined with persistence pays off because this teen has slowly begun to trust Tonie and open up to her. We are grateful for Tonie’s faithfulness, compassion, and dedication.
