Those Who Serve
Short profiles of the Jefferson County neighbors who answer the call in public safety, social work, and community care.
Brandon Moonier Helps Give Jefferson County’s Foster Children a Voice
The longtime CASA board president says every child navigating foster care deserves stability, opportunity and someone firmly in their corner.
By The Jefferson Review Staff
Photo courtesy of CASA of Jefferson County
For Brandon Moonier, serving CASA of Jefferson County is not simply a board position. It is a mission shaped by his family’s firsthand experience with the foster care system.
Moonier, who has served on CASA’s Board of Directors since 2017 and currently serves as board president, became involved after his family welcomed relatives who needed a stable home. The children remained in the foster care system for more than two years, during which Moonier said their case passed through at least half a dozen caseworkers.
“There was never any consistency,” Moonier said. “You would get somewhere, and then it would stall. Then you would have a new caseworker and start all over again.”
The experience showed him how easily a child’s individual needs can become lost within a complicated system of court hearings, attorneys, agencies, and changing personnel.
“Rarely are they actually talking about the kids,” he said. “Once we had gotten out of the system, I knew I had to get involved in some way.”
CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, trains volunteers to advocate for children who have entered foster care because of abuse or neglect. The volunteer remains focused on the child, spends time learning about the child’s circumstances, and provides recommendations to the court.
“The CASA worker is there specifically for that kid, being that constant for them and meeting with them throughout the case,” Moonier said. “It is a missing link in the system that a CASA worker fills.”
Moonier also hopes the community will reject the idea that children in foster care are somehow broken or responsible for their circumstances.
“They just need some help at that particular time,” he said. “They didn’t ask to be put into this system. They didn’t ask to have their home taken away from them.”
Community donations, volunteers and attendance at CASA events provide the staff, training and resources needed to support advocates and children throughout Jefferson County.
“When you attend, when you donate, when you give ten dollars, you are making a difference in the life of a kid in foster care,” Moonier said. “Those resources are helping a child potentially change the course of their life.”
For Moonier, supporting children in foster care is a responsibility shared by the entire community.
“It’s not just a ‘me’ problem or a ‘you’ problem,” he said. “Why are there 600-800 children in our own community in the foster care system? Why do we not have enough trained foster parents? Why are these kids being placed outside of our county? This is a community crisis.”
He has also witnessed what can happen when children receive the stability and encouragement they deserve.
“The kids that we have have just flourished,” Moonier said.
Community members do not need a legal or social-work background to become a CASA volunteer. The organization provides the training, resources and ongoing support volunteers need as they learn to navigate the foster care system and advocate for a child’s best interests.
With a commitment of approximately 10-15 hours each month, a volunteer can become a consistent, trusted presence for a Jefferson County child during an uncertain time.
“You will get the training, you will get the resources, and you will get the support that you need from our program,” Moonier said. “If you focus on what the mission is—to help that child in foster care and do what’s right for them—you can make a difference.”
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