CASA names volunteer of year

Judith Nettles, 81, of Poplar Bluff is the 2021 CASA Volunteer of the Year for the 36th Judicial Circuit.

Nettles not only believes every child has the right to have an advocate, she has stepped forward to make certain that happens.

In congratulating Nettles, Judy Moss, Butler County Community Resource Council CASA program director, said, “Judith was chosen as CASA of the Year for her devotion to our children, her innovative thinking, and her ability to tell the team how things are. Judith has been a CASA for seven years and has served 17 children.”

Nettles is quick to stress the award is “about CASA and the children. It’s not about me.”

While reluctant to talk about the honor, Nettles didn’t hesitate to praise the program or the children benefiting from CASA.

Nettles worked for Positive Resources and then Family Counseling when discussion of starting the CASA program in the area first began.

“I was a case manager for the severely mentally ill children,” she said. “I thought CASA was awesome when it came into being. It was a conflict of interest for me to volunteer. I knew when I retired, then I would do that. As soon as I retired, that’s when I started.”

“I do think many of the kids I worked with... never had a voice,” she said. “That’s not fair. They need to have a voice because if they’re supposed to grow up to be responsible, let’s start giving them some ability to be responsible. I want every child to have a chance to become who they really should become. You don’t do that sometimes without a person standing by you.”

Since retiring in 2014 at age 74, she estimates she’s volunteered with 17 children through CASA.

“I don’t want everybody to think they’re gonna get a huge caseload,” Nettles said. “I’m more mature than the average person and sometimes I’m a little bit wiser. I don’t get everything in a twist. Sometimes that’s really good.”

Some don’t volunteer because their “biggest concern is the fact it would be upsetting to them,” she said. “I learned a long time ago, it really doesn’t have anything to do with me. If I’m involved emotionally, then there’s something wrong. It is about the child who needs a voice so they can be heard. It’s not about me, it’s about the children that have the right to be represented.”

Stressing when one gets “into this world, you understand how incredibly unfair it has been to children,” Nettles said. “I don’t treat my dog the way many parents have treated their children. I just wouldn’t. I want the children to know although they haven’t had a voice because of their treatment, we want to teach them to use their voice.”

Nettles added, “I’m more interesting than an 81-year-old who sits on my big hill looking at my pond and my deer and enjoying life. I think the thing that amazes me is that people think I’m unique when I’m not. I’m just smarter than the average person to use my abilities. I happen to enjoy life. I do think wisdom comes with age, and I only wish I knew what I know now, many years ago. I wouldn’t have spun so many wheels.”

She enjoys traveling to Italy, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, England, Wales, Scotland and Eastern Europe.

Three days a week she works out at the gym along with volunteering with CASA. She enjoys having “lunch with really, really good friends,” she said. “I live on acreage so there are times a lot of my energy is used mowing the lawn and weed whacking. I have a big dog.”

She admits, “I like kids; they can be a little naughty.”

Nettles said, “You get up in the morning, you’ve got a decision to make if you’re gonna enjoy the day. If you don’t, I’m really sorry because it’s not a dress rehearsal. You don’t get a do-over. Sometimes people think there’s a magic something that is gonna happen and they have to participate in it.”

At 81, Nettles believes she has even more to give and she’s applying for a part-time job working with children.