1st Lt. Zachary Harnett The success of the Brush Country CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) organization is due to the volunteer spirit of its members like Zachary Harnett, who first joined CASA in September 2009.

Harnett is a Marine first lieutenant and student naval aviator at Naval Air Station Kingsville, who came here in April of 2009.

Harnett first heard about CASA while looking over a flyer at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

“I went to TAMUK because I have a lot of free time and wanted to see if there was any programs at the university that I could volunteer with, and I saw a flyer about CASA and decided to call their office,” Harnett said.

Harnett said he was apprehensive about CASA at first because of the commitment that it takes to be a volunteer, but he wants potential volunteers to know that it is possible be a productive CASA member with hard work.

“I understand that people think that they don’t have the time during the week to make a commitment, but I urge them to think about the children and their situation,” he said.

“They are far worse off then anybody and could really use someone to be by their side,” Harnett said.

“All it takes is a few hours a week and you could make a big difference in a child’s life.”

Harnett currently works with a family with three children and calls the experience an eye-opener.

“I came from a very stable household where my parents were married and everything was normal,” Harnett said. “This experience has made me aware of things I had not previously been exposed to and it has been very rewarding.”

Harnett also works with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program and previously coached a soccer team for disabled children while living in California.

He calls the interaction with the children the best part of the job.

“One of my favorite memories while working with CASA was when I took the three kids out to the movies and one of them in particular is very shy; we both happened to laugh at a funny scene in the movie and we were the only ones in the theater laughing,” Harnett said. “He just looked at me and gave me a high fiveand it was a great moment because we were able to relate on the same level.”

Harnett would like to praise the Brush Country CASA staff, which has been very supportive of its volunteers, and is always lending a helping hand if a volunteer needs any guidance.

“CASA is a great program and the staff offers a very supportive system so volunteers are not just out there on their own,” Harnett said.

“Anyone who is interested in joining should know that you will have a whole team behind you in order for you to be the best volunteer you could be.”