Fort Worth volunteer Terry Slife marks 24 years and 40 cases advocating for foster kids

Before she took on one particular case, Terry Slife had no idea how hard it could be to find glasses for a 2-year-old, especially a pair Medicaid would cover. When that toddler's case came to her through CASA of Tarrant County, the search was hers to make. She spent an entire day looking for an eyewear retailer that would take her young client's insurance.

That kind of persistence has defined Slife's 24 years as a volunteer advocate. The 63-year-old Fort Worth resident has taken on 40 cases for the nonprofit. In each one she has served as a resource for caseworkers, families, judges, lawyers and children in the foster system. "I love the people. I love the families. I love the kids the most," Slife told the Fort Worth Report.

Slife joined CASA two years after moving to Fort Worth. She wanted to be more involved in her community, and she had loved raising her grandchildren. Courts appoint CASA volunteers to specific cases, where they support children, families and caseworkers. Slife grew up around dysfunction and addiction, so the situations many foster children face felt familiar to her. "I understood what a child would be going through, having to deal with a family like that," she said.

Her staying power is unusual. According to Victoria McKeon, CASA's development director, the Tarrant County branch has about 400 volunteers, and most stay about two and a half years. Ten have served for more than a decade. Slife took a break during the COVID-19 pandemic and then came back. She also serves on the board of Gemini Recovery, which helps parents in the foster system get counseling and recovery services. Until recently, she was also an advocate in CASA's Family Recovery Program, which supports and mentors parents dealing with drug use.

"I have probably a handful (of cases) to this day that I look back on and think, 'This is why I do what I do,'" Slife said.

The Fort Worth Report first reported this story in its 52 Faces of Community series, which spotlights unsung local heroes.