It's Personal for Passionate Leader of CASA Berks County

McCullar Begins her 5th Year as Executive Director

By: Ciara Walker Williams

Nancy McCullar spent 35 years running community-based organizations and foster care agencies for children who have been abused and neglected. Now, shes using her personal and professional experience to grow CASA of Berks County.

Since McCullar joined CASA of Berks as the Executive Director in 2019, their donations and volunteers have increased, which means the number of children they serve has increased.

When I came in 2019, this iteration of CASA Berks was three years old and teetering between whether we should merge with somebody else or could we make it on our own. I really felt we could make it on our own, so I came in with that kind of energy and vision - and we did, McCullar says. Our organization has doubled in size in terms of the contracts and monies brought in as well as the volunteers and children we serve. We were serving about 30-40 children a year when I first started and now were serving 110 children a year with about 55 volunteers.

Communicating the importance of CASA Berks comes naturally for McCullar being that she draws from personal experience. At ten years old, her mother passed away from cancer and she took on a parental role for her 3 brothers - one older and two younger.

My relatives, the school, the neighbors - everybody just assumed that I would take on that role. And, I did. I was very confident at ten years old, she recalls. I got the lunches ready for my brothers. The school would call me when my brothers were sick or needed reprimanding. I was even asked to be the den mother for the neighborhood cub scout group.

I was the model of an adultified child, she adds. When I came to CASA I thought thats what I missed throughout my childhood. I didnt have anyone to talk to about what was going on, and it wasnt like I was being neglected. I was safe; I just didnt have a childhood. So, I really understand the kids that we work with knowing what it was like for me to not be able to grieve the loss of my mother because I was the one to care for others.

Now, caring for others comes naturally for McCullar and its her care that has strengthened CASA Berks and her team. She understands the challenges her Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) may face. She also knows the impact CASAs have on children in the foster care system as well as their families.

For me, CASA Berks pulls together all of the experience Ive had working with children who have been abused and neglected in the foster care and school systems, she says. Im so honored to work with volunteers who are doing for these kids what someone should have done for me as a child. How wonderful that our child welfare system has grown to understand how much kids who are lost and alone need somebody to just be their guide and confidant.

CASAs undergo 30 hours of training over 10 weeks. While the training introduces them to situations they may encounter, McCullar realizes there are some challenges volunteers may not experience until after receiving their first case.

My role is to help the team stay focused on our goal which is to help the children thrive, she says. I bring confidence, enthusiasm, and a sense of humor so nobody feels like its the end of the world with a child. I assure them we can solve every problem thats in front of us because you cant problem solve when youre feeling trapped or panicked. I also help prioritize things which helps everybody relax and realize were a team and we can do this.

McCullar joined CASA Berks a few months before the pandemic and sees how things have changed within the child welfare system. One of her goals is to bring awareness to some of the challenges these changes have caused.

The pandemic changed the child welfare field and a lot of people who were foster parents were not able to continue, she says. There are fewer foster homes so a lot of children who wouldve been placed in foster care are still in their biological homes because they may be safe technically, but theyre not getting the medical care they need; theyre not going to school; and theyre not getting attention or thriving.

Its like a throwback to what I experienced, she adds. I think the adultified kids are being taken advantage of, but more importantly, there are not enough places for the kids who are very disturbed and traumatized.

According to McCullar, there are over 400 children in foster care in Berks County and CASA Berks is serving about 100 of them each year.  In addition to raising more money, recruiting, and training more volunteers; she wants to develop a childrens alliance with other local agencies.

While our goal is for every child in foster care to have a CASA, I also want to raise awareness about the cracks in the child welfare system.  We need more foster parents, she says. And more mental health practitioners skilled in trauma therapy.

In the meantime, McCullar encourages the members of Berks County to consider becoming a CASA and/or make a donation.

The bulk of our work is being done by volunteers, so our donations go directly to recruiting and training new volunteers because there are more children who need a CASA, she says. One company gave us a three-year pledge and that meant so much because it means we have funding into the future. There are others who make specific donations to send a child to camp or provide support such as equine therapy for a child. Either way, donations go directly to serving our kids.

McCullar believes her role in serving children through CASA Berks is a gift from God, and she looks forward to leading their continued growth and success.

I feel like God is saying Im sorry about your childhood, but you did such a good job that Im rewarding you with this wonderful job at the end of your career, she says. I love working with my team, I love the work that were doing, and its all things that I know how to do. The people I get to work with are the kind of people I wish I had in my life when I was a kid. So, this is Gods gift to me that I get to be in this community of people who care about kids the way I always wanted and shouldve had people care about me.

About CASA of Berks County

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Berks County is a non-profit organization that recruits and trains volunteers as child advocates for the children in Berks County who reside in foster care. It was founded in 2015 under the initiative of Judge Ullman, who saw the need for additional eyes and ears on the care of Berks County foster children. Children in foster care who have a CASA volunteer, who is a caring consistent adult in their lives, are more likely to succeed in school, more likely to find a forever home, and half as likely to re-enter the foster care system. There are over 400 children in Berks County who reside in foster care at any one time. The organizations 50 volunteers advocate for 110 children each year.  More information at www.casaberks.org.

 CASA of Berks County is actively seeking volunteers. If youd like to help advocate for children who cannot advocate for themselves, come to an information session to learn more about the application and training process involved in becoming an advocate. Email our Advocate Manager at: christa@casaberks.org for more information.

Each year, young people in Berks County age out of foster care and step into adulthood without the consistent support many of us take for granted. They face the same challenges every young adult encountershousing, employment, relationships, financesbut often without a stable network of guidance and emotional support.

At CASA of Berks County, we see the resilience of these young adults every day. We also see the gaps.

To help close those gaps, we are launching our Youth in Transition program, designed to provide short-term counseling for young adults who have recently exited foster care. And we are inviting licensed therapists to be part of this critical new initiative.

Why Volunteer Therapists Matter

Young adults aging out of foster care have often spent years navigating systems, instability, and trauma. A safe, reliable therapeutic relationshipeven for a short periodcan help them:

• Build confidence and emotional stability

• Strengthen coping skills

• Navigate significant life decisions

• Develop healthier relationships

• Feel supported during an uncertain time

Your clinical training and compassionate presence can be the anchor they need as they move forward.

What the Role Involves

Volunteer therapists provide short-term, trauma-informed counseling tailored to each young adults needs. Sessions can be scheduled based on your availability, and CASA Berks provides structure, support, and coordination throughout the process.

This is a flexible way to offer your professional skills to a population that often struggles to access mental health care.

Who Were Looking For

We are seeking licensed professionals such as:

• Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC)

• Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)

• Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists (LMFT)

• Licensed Psychologists

If you believe every young person deserves someone in their corner, and youre passionate about creating equitable access to care, wed love to talk with you.

Learn More

We invite interested therapists to attend an upcoming information session or reach out directly to our program coordinator.

Contact Tiffany@casaberks.org for details.

Together, we can ensure that no young adult leaving foster care has to take their next steps alone.