By Emily Heglund/CASA
Her name is Withelma, but she goes by the nickname “T.”
The contradiction is fitting, for Withelma “T” Ortiz Walker Pettigrew’s life today could not be more different than her childhood. Taken into foster care at a young age, Pettigrew later became a victim of the $96 billion human trafficking industry. Before she was old enough to be in junior high, she was being sold on the streets and in strip clubs and massage parlors for sex.
Today, Pettigrew is a survivor, college student, motivational speaker and advocate for those trapped in the darkness and violence of human trafficking. In 2011, Glamour named her as one of their Women of the Year; she testified before Congress in 2013 and made Time magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People in 2014.
So what happened to alter the trajectory of her life so drastically? Just before she aged out of the U.S. foster care system, she was assigned a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA volunteer.
Pettigrew spoke about her childhood, her CASA and her mission as a keynote speaker at the recent Texas CASA Conference in Galveston. When she met her CASA, she had been confined to juvenile hall, she said, and a judge was ready to release her. Knowing the chances of T going back to the streets were good, her CASA visited the judge personally and asked – pleaded, really – for him to keep her confined a little longer. She also gave Pettigrew a kind of support she’d never had before: one that wanted nothing in return.
It worked. Pettigrew took control of her life and her story and began to speak out. She started working with other survivors, becoming a beacon of hope for those formerly caught up in abuse and exploitation. And though it’s evident that she has worked hard to get where she is today, Pettigrew also credits her CASA for helping clear the path to her new life.
We hear this over and over from former foster youth who become successful. Almost all of them will credit having a relationship with at least one caring, committed adult for keeping them on the right path. That adult might be an extended family member, teacher, coach, CASA, neighbor or church member; the title doesn’t matter so much as the positive, consistent presence in the youth’s life.
Two years ago this month, I came back to my hometown of Athens and fulfilled a dream by going to work for CASA. Inspired by the stories of people like Pettigrew, I had hoped to play a small role in helping children find safe, stable and loving homes.
What I found was so much more. I was blessed with the opportunity to lead an organization whose volunteers and staff now serve nearly 800 East Texas children annually. Our advocates give so generously of their time and resources; it’s incredibly humbling to think about.
Still, there is work yet to do. About 20 percent of our children are served by a staff member rather than a volunteer. And we want to close this gap! If you or someone you know is looking, as I was, to make a difference for a child, then please consider CASA.
Your involvement might be the thing that sets a child on a new path; from walking the streets to walking the halls of Congress. To learn more, visit www.casaoftv.org.
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Emily Heglund is the executive director of CASA of Trinity Valley, serving Anderson, Cherokee and Henderson counties. She can be reached at [email protected].