Jim Barfield followed his wife's lead

"My wife, Theresa went through the training program and was sworn in as a Fountain County CASA on October 19, 2010. I was very proud of her and saw the effort she put into learning to be a voice for our county's abused and neglected kids. It got me to thinking – hey, I can do this, too. So, I enrolled in the next training session and was sworn in on May 6, 2011. We then started taking cases and co-CASAing on them. It has worked out well. So far, we have advocated for six children in three different cases, a single child and a double along with a sibling group of three."

Fountain County CASA Director, Sue White, agrees. "Jim and Theresa work really well together. As a married couple, they are already used to functioning as a team. Putting them together as co-CASAs for our CASA children was a natural outcome. They complement one another really well. Theresa has the tender heart that gives the benefit of the doubt, while Jim will hold the feet to the fire that need to be held there. He also has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I've met."

Working together on cases has also allowed the couple to juggle their other responsibilities. Jim works full-time and Theresa stays very busy raising their young grandchildren, Zachary and Allanah. With two of them, they are able to share some of the duties of attending meetings, home visits and court hearings.

Jim would tell anyone considering becoming a CASA "Take it slow and don't rush through your cases because it is the kids that suffer when you rush these things. Pressure from outside forces on DCS may come into play because of their heavy caseloads but you need to be able to rein them back. We need DCS to work with us so cooperate as much as you can without jeopardizing your children's case."