Story provided by CASA for Kids Serving Payne and Logan Counties
Kim Jenkins is CASA’s June Volunteer of the Month.
Kim’s father was in the Air Force and moved around a lot as a child. She was born in England, moved around until they landed in Oklahoma when she was 8-9 years old. She has been an Okie ever since. Kim graduated from Oolagah High School and moved to Stillwater about 25 years ago when she married her husband, Woody Jenkins, MD. She worked as a nurse in a multi-specialty clinic for several years in Tulsa and then in the cardiology office upon moving to Stillwater. About 15 years ago, she decided to stay home and be a “volunteer mom” helping with sports, dance, and band for her three children. Two of her children are married and out of the house. Her son, who has just graduated from Stillwater High School, is going off to college in the fall on a bowling scholarship at West Texas A&M University.
Kim has been volunteering with CASA for a little over three years. She has served on four cases, and just recently, her first case recently closed with an adoption after three years. Prior to volunteering, Kim had heard of CASA for a while. With her children being self-sufficient, she was not volunteering at their schools as much and she wanted to prepare for her empty nest.
She says that once she gets involved in a case, the children really get ahold of you. Kim says that she realized that so many of them do not have a voice and do not even know how bad they have it. She felt like a surrogate grandma for the girls involved with her first case. She has also helped some new CASA volunteers on their cases.
Kim is aware that she may be the only person who really listens to the child and knows what they need. She knows that she is making a difference.
“The support system that CASA has in place for its volunteers is incredible,” said Kim. “The case supervisor, the executive director—everyone is there for you. I never feel uncomfortable asking a question or addressing or concern with them.”
If you want to learn more about CASA and how you can make a difference in a child’s life, visit casaforkids.com or call 405-624-2242.
