Collin County Living Well Magazine March/April 2016 | Page 35

“We tend to think of Angel Flight when we think medical air
lifting,” the former registered nurse admits.

She loves to see two groups coming together with their own
speciality.

But as Gray learned first hand, medical work is not all Angel Flight does.

“They’ve got time. They love flying, and it gives them a way
to give back just like we are,” she says.

She’s used the free service a few times to meet with her
CASA child.

The Impact
While veterans like Gray may be free to go at it alone with the
majority of their cases, newcomers don’t have to worry. CASA
provides an extensive training process along with a supervisor.

“You meet them at the airport or sometimes they will fly
to meet you,” she explains. “It’s just the pilot and me.
Where I go it’s a 2 to 2 ½ hour flight. Then I usually
spend about two hours there. And the pilot just waits
for me or maybe goes and has lunch or waits in the
hanger.”
While she’s there, she gets to take the child out of school,
sees how they have grown, visits with people in their life
and tours their facility.
“It’s an overall progress report,” Gray says. “They are just
like any other child. They’ll ask ‘What did you bring me?
Did you bring me a toy?’”
When they finish, it’s a two-hour trip back.
“All in a day’s trip. Mission accomplished,” she says.
Gray is grateful for the volunteer gift Angel Flight pilots offer CASAs and acknowledges it is a sacrifice.
“When you fill a plane it’s not like filling your car,”
she says.

Then, Gray says, at the end of a case, CASAs write a court
report, explaining their informed conclusions.
“I’ve found the courts do rely on a lot of my investigative
work as I’m sure they do with a lot of CASAs,” Gray notes.
In fact, one of Gray’s favorite parts of involvement with
CASA has been learning how the court system works from
the inside.
On the annual Adoption Day, she has enjoyed seeing the
courtrooms lined with teddy bears and other celebratory
elements like balloons, clowns and food.
But not every day is as glamorous as adoption day, and
Gray admits, in the beginning, she wondered if what she
was doing really mattered.
“There are all these people and all these cases,” she recalls. “But the more I did it, the more I really realized, you
really do matter. All these advocates come together, and together
it really makes a difference.”

CASA of Dallas County serves more than 2,250 children each year. To learn more about
volunteering or donate to CASA, visit www.dallascasa.org.

COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MARCH/APRIL 2016

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