GREENFIELD — Sometimes volunteering leads to something much bigger down the road.
Jessica Westfall has always had a heart for children, so she jumped at the chance in September 2020 to answer an ad seeking volunteers for the Hancock County CASA program, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates.
The program trains adults to serve as the voice for children who have been removed from their homes as the result of abuse or neglect.
On Jan. 2, Westfall will take over as executive director of the nonprofit she holds so dear.
The Greenfield woman will take over the reins from Marciann McClarnon Miller, who has held the post most of the time since she helped launch the nonprofit in January 2020.
Miller first retired from the organization in 2022, but her successor resigned nine months later, so she stepped back into the role.
Miller said she couldn’t be happier about leaving the job in Westfall’s capable hands.
“I hired Jessica two years ago as my administrative assistant right before I retired the first time. I knew then that she had a true heart for everything that we do at this program,” she said.
“She has her own story, which builds her capacity for understanding children in a difficult position, and she uses that understanding in developing a real energy and drive that will take this program into the next chapter.”
Westfall has worked a variety of jobs over the years, including a volunteer coordinator for a hospice center and a life skills coach for kids in need of mental health support, but said she immediately felt connected to the CASA program.
“As soon as I became a volunteer, I pretty much knew immediately this was my passion, and I wanted to be as involved as I could be once there was a position in the office available,” said the mother to two boys, ages 5 and 14.
“It’s just a huge passion for me, and something that I’ve always wanted to do, to give the kids a voice,” she said.
Since becoming a volunteer just over three years ago, Westfall has served as a CASA for 19 different children, sometimes serving as many as six at one time.
Many of them have aged out of the program or been adopted or reunified with their families.
As for her goals in the coming year, “I want to continue to grow the program, expand the volunteer base and keep the wait list at zero so that all the Hancock County children in need can be served,” said Westfall.
Her current roles including managing the financial, scheduling appointments and training and mentoring volunteers.
She works closely with the Friends of CASA board and attends the board’s meeting and events, like the Christmas party on Dec. 13 when all CASA kids were invited to visit with Santa and receive personalized gifts.
Westfall said she feels confidant going into the new role given her experience and familiarity with the program.
“There aren’t a lot of unknowns, which is nice. The transition is not as intimidating given I already know what I’m supposed to do,” she said.
The local CASA program currently has 40 volunteers and 115 enrolled children. The nonprofit reached a significant milestone in January when there were enough volunteers to ensure no children were left on the wait list.
Westfall said she knows she has big shoes to fill in taking over for Miller, who she said has done an amazing job creating and growing the program over the past three years.
“She has been a huge role model for me, and she’s a big part of the reason why I wanted to get so involved because working for her and just watching her handle her position was so inspiring to me,” said Westfall.
“It’s been like a dream come true to walk alongside her and to learn from her, and just be inspired by her. My goal is to try to do a fraction as well as she did in this position,” she said.
After serving 37 years as a school teacher, Miller was motivated to get involved with the CASA program and create a nonprofit specifically for kids in Hancock County.
During her tenure, she not only launched the local program but helped create the Friends of CASA organization, which raises funds to support CASA.
She served as executive director of both, and in January 2022 developed the the Dream Big program, which grants wishes for the children in the program.
Miller has often referred to the CASA program as “her baby,” but said she feels at peace handing the reins over to someone as capable and dependable as Westfall.
“She has the respect of all the volunteers because she has shown up for them time and time again, and is a great listener and problem solver,” said Miller. “She will be a phenomenal director, and I couldn’t be more happy to hand the keys over to her.”
