YOLO Spotlight – Tracy Fauver of CASA!
Welcome back to YOLO Spotlight! For April, KLJ Studios will be spotlighting those working with foster
kids or foster families. One, we think they deserve to be recognized for the important work they do and
two, our Fairy Fantasy event which happens this time every year, raises funds for a foster family
nonprofit. Win-win!
We begin our journey with Tracy Fauver. Tracy is the Executive Director of the Court Appointed Special
Advocate (CASA) program for Yolo County. CASA’s are specially trained volunteers that provide a
consistent and stable relationship for foster children. The volunteers build relationships with their
“CASA” kids, spending time with them and gathering facts about their situation so they can best
advocate for them. Many times, volunteers will stay in the child’s life for many years and are there for
milestone events and even simple trips to the zoo.
Tracy grew up in Ohio and spent time in high school and college studying in Europe. She came to
California in 2000 and landed in Yolo County in 2003. She received a masters degree in social work and
worked at a shelter and in schools. She found it was difficult at times to help at risk kids and it
sometimes haunted her. She loved her work at Davis Community Meals as a case manager and also
volunteered as a CASA for three years before being appointed to lead the local CASA organization.
FUN FACT #1
Her mother recently sent photos of Tracy taken throughout her life and this small act has sent Tracy on a
journey to embrace her own self-worth and incorporate more of herself into her house and her life.
Between the photos coming into her life again and the pandemic, she began making more of an effort
this past year reaching out to people and spending time with friends and others she cares about.
FUN FACT #2
She appreciates meeting challenges to always do better, but admits at times it can be overwhelming.
Volunteers must be recruited, trained and supervised, not to mention the administrative duties and
fundraising efforts Tracy oversees. She began at CASA ten years ago and for a time was the only
employee and CASA now thrives with over a hundred volunteers and a staff of eight, up to 200 youth per
year. Yet the need for CASAs is as desperate as ever with so many children in the foster care system.
FUN FACT #3
She learned about self-care from her social work days and knows how to leave the stress at the door
when she goes home. The compassion and connections needed for this job is actually who Tracy is as a
person, she doesn’t need to “change hats” when she walks into work every day. Tracy has a motorcycle
(an Indian Scout) that she loves to ride for the freedom, fun, and independence it brings to her. “Riding
feels like flying”, she says. (Of course, she didn’t bring the Indian Scout to the shoot so others could enjoy
that flying feeling.) She likes being what people don’t expect her to be. When asked what she wants to
be when she grows up, she talked about maybe buying a couple of acres and living on a farm with some
awesome chickens. Maybe building a house with a log cabin home kit. (Full disclosure: we have often
talked about doing the log cabin home kit thing, they are pretty cool.)
WHAT’S GOING ON AT CASA?
CASA has continued their mission to advocate for children during the pandemic though
obviously there have been changes in how they can carry out their mission. There has been
more virtual training and in person classes are on hold for now. The CASA’s have tried to perform
their job while using Zoom, though it is harder to make a connection virtually. It is much more
difficult to gauge emotions and it can be impossible to judge whether the child has privacy since
you can’t always see who else is in the room.
2. The quality of the volunteer advocates is crucial, but so is the quantity needed. Those who
attend the training, court observations, and other requirements and are promoted to a full
fledge CASA volunteer must commit 18 months to their assigned foster youth, though many
continue long past that basic commitment. Tracy finds there is no typical volunteer, though they
are always in need for more men and people of color to advocate and act as role models for the
kids. The need for more CASA volunteers is a problem nationwide.
3. If you have ever been to the CASA office in downtown Woodland, you have seen their unique,
and poignant, display in the conference room. Every foster child in the county is represented by
a cutout of a caterpillar. When the child receives a CASA, the caterpillar is removed and replaced
with a beautiful butterfly. Knowing the story, you feel joy when you walk in the room see all of
the butterflies displayed from above. But you soon realize how many caterpillars are still hanging
from the ceiling and there is also a feeling of sadness at how many foster children there are in
Yolo County and how many do not have the advocacy they need and deserve.
On a lighter note, many may not know that Tracy is also the proud grandmother of Mochi, the famous
bearded dragon of TikTok fame. Mochi visited our studio recently and spoke very highly of Nana Tracy.
If you would like to learn about the CASA program, or wish to look into volunteering, you can find out
more here: https://www.yolocasa.org/.
Interested in a portrait session?