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Karl Sanders of Echo Park wanted to give back in a meaningful way.
Karl Sanders of Echo Park wanted to give back in a meaningful way.
MM Photography | Photo courtesy Karl Sanders
Echo Park -- Finding the right kind of volunteer gig means finding where your deepest connection is. That’s the philosophy of Karl Sanders of Echo Park, a restaurant manager and budding film writer.
The 35-year-old had tried various programs – serving food and reading to youngsters – but he wanted to make a direct impact on a kid’s life.
“I grew up moving around a lot as an orphan, but I’ll never forget the adults in my life who showed me kindness,” says Sanders.
A co-worker of Sanders mentioned theCourt Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program that pairs a volunteer to build a one-on-one relationship with a youth with special circumstances. The CASA volunteer advocates for their youth’s best interests with educators, doctors and counselors and can make recommendations to the Court. Children learn that someone cares about them and will be a part of their lives as they grow up.
“That’s exactly what I wanted,” says Sanders. “To find someone who had similar experiences like I did.”
After volunteer training, Sanders was excited to meet 15-year-old James (not his real name), who had been living in a group home for two years. After taking public transportation to the San Gabriel Valley, Sanders arrived at the group home, but James didn’t want to come out of his room.
Not wanting to leave (“I spent so much time to get out there!”), Sanders went up and into James’ room. The boy, lying in bed, pulled a blanket over his head. Sanders spied an X-Box and started talking about video games he likes, and slowly the blanket came down.
“We have been inseparable since then,” says Sanders with a laugh. With patience, commitment and through tough times, Sanders watched for six years how James – little by little – came out of his shell, found friends, even a girlfriend, and became excited for life.
Since James will be 21 this summer, he will leave the group home to start his new life. Even though his CASA commitment with James will officially end, Sanders knows the two will stay in touch. Sanders is proud of his kid (“the world is lucky to have him in it”), and he’s happy to have found this opportunity.
“The program isn’t for everyone,” he says. “It pulls you into someone’s life for better and worse. So my best advice for others is to, ‘buckle up for the ride!’”
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.