Volunteer Spotlight: Amour Solomon, CASA of Southern Maryland

In this Volunteer Spotlight, please meet Ms. Amour Solomon, a volunteer for CASA of Southern Maryland, a program under the Center for Children. By day, Amour is a part-time child care provider in pursuit of a degree in Human Services. Amour is a resident of Waldorf, Maryland where she has lived for over 13 years. About three years ago she was researching volunteer opportunities and found an ad on a popular volunteer recruitment website, VolunteerMatch. “I was a housewife and worked from home, but I wanted to devote some of my time to volunteering,” she says. I’ve always had an interest in social services and working with children, so I felt getting involved with CASA would be a great opportunity!”Amour became a mother at the age of 16. “It was a life-changing experience and huge transition for me,” she says. “I remember at the time, in the town I lived in there were not many programs or support systems for young mothers.” Fortunately, she was surrounded by a supportive family who helped her stay on top of her responsibilities. Becoming a young mother influenced her to become a CASA volunteer, she says. “I knew there would be young ladies in the foster care system who needed someone who they could relate to and who has experienced some of the challenges they face as teen moms.” As it turns out, Amour’s father also grew up in the foster care system in New York City when he was a child. Knowing her father experienced what it was like in foster care certainly impacted her decision to become a CASA volunteer, she says.Amour has been working with a young lady for the past two years. “When I met her, she was struggling in the environment she lived in, and had been in and out of foster homes for a few years.” The two talked a lot in the first year, and Amour soon realized the young lady was a very smart and motivated girl. “She just needed a better support system and some guidance from someone who understood her challenges.” At first, Amour would meet face-to-face with the young lady weekly and they would communicate several times a week outside of their meetings. Now that her CASA child’s life is more stable, they meet once or twice a month and attend events together like Maryland CASA’s Foster Youth Summit in Baltimore, an event designed to help prepare older youth for life after foster care.So, what would Amour say to someone interested in volunteering with CASA?“Do it!” she says. “But only do it if you truly have a passion for the work. If you feel you can devote the time and energy that is necessary to help make a difference in these children’s lives, CASA is the right organization for you.”To learn more about becoming a CASA volunteer and advocating for children and youth within your community, visit marylandcasa.org/get-involved or call 410-828-6761 for more information.