A Whole Lot of Theta Love
The following is a post by my wife, Robin McGraw, who has made our marriage and our growing family her priority in life. Robin’s devotion to “family first” can be seen through her dedicated work as a board member of The Dr. Phil Foundation and national spokesperson for CASA. In 2010, she became a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity, which has donated more than $1 million to CASA over the last 20 years.
It’s been two years since I had the thrill of being initiated into the Omicron Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta. For those of my readers who don’t know, Kappa Alpha Theta is the first Greek letter fraternity known among women — founded in 1870 — and my favorite nonprofit, CASA for Children, is Theta’s official philanthropy.
I’m still in awe of the tremendous amount of energy Theta women put into everything they do — especially their passionate support of CASA for Children.
In an interview with Theta magazine, I once said, “There are no children more disadvantaged than those who get caught up in the foster care system.” I still believe this, with one exception: The kids in the foster care system who have a CASA volunteer have a huge advantage! Those children have a caring adult matched with them one-on-one; an adult who is trained to give that child a voice and who will lift up that child’s best interests in court.
CASA volunteers are just as passionate as my Theta sisters about the work that they do. The stories I hear from young people who have “aged out of the system” start with such tragedy, but they end in victories for each child who was listened to and who made his or her way to the safety of a forever family.
That is why I am so grateful to each and every Theta. Whether my Theta sisters are still in college or university, or whether they are alumnae who, like me, haven’t been students for more than a few years, the energy these women pour into their support of CASA makes my heart soar.
My Theta sisters are about to enjoy a fun-filled, information-packed Grand Convention in Tucson. I wish I could be there with them! Since I can’t be, I’m writing this message to wish every Theta sister a whole lot of Theta love!
Please do your part to help abused and neglected children! Visit iamforthechild.org and add your voice. Thank you!
Tags: CASA, Children, Robin McGraw, Theta
One concern I have is that CASA workers are NOT investigating. My step kids were taken on false allegations and the judicial, attorney’s, and CASA workers are not looking at the facts only on what’s not the truth in the report. The report being written up and changed by a CPS worker who never visited the home before she took the kids. These kids have now suffered undue trauma on top of the trauma they were already suffering when being removed from safe and loving parents (who did everything to protect) who were the ones desperately seeking help in keeping the kids from being in the care of an unsafe environment ordered by family law court. I really hope that things change because my step kids are not the only kids in our country who have been ripped out of perfectly good homes based on lies!
I had the exact same experience as this woman. My kids were interviewed and hair follicle tested for drug behind my back while staying at their dads home for 2 weeks after a false allegation on me,their bio mom. I had full custody of my boys and had them at least 5 Days a week,but for this 2 week stretch they stayed with dad I was labeled in court reports as being homeless and the culprite for their positive hair follicle test for cocaine…of which I’ve never used,yet father and roomate I found out were using! By the time I realized my kids were taken I was already suffering PTSD..yet labeled drug user because of my symptoms from PTSD,which mirror side effects of drug use:seeing and hearing my childrens cries yet they were gone. For 2 days I didnt know where they were and wasnt given a court summons explaining a hearing and that CPS had them until A WEEK AFTER I WAS TO HAVE ALREADY BEEN TO COURT. I feel we have been raped,beaten,and disregarded as trash by our own justice system. I charge them w/ abuse/negl