Writer's plans will not include run for president
I want to thank the folks at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for allowing old geezers like me to express their old haywire ideas on the letters page.
I just want our good readers to know: I will not be running for president in 2020.
Wilson Rowlett
Rogers
Volunteer work within courts brings new sense of purpose
In recent weeks, I have been asked online and in real life about my work as a CASA, or court-appointed special advocates. Specifically, how I got into it and how does one go from business to social work. I think it has perplexed people that someone of my background would go in such a radically different direction in their career.
The "how" of how I got into the work is the easy part. Being between roles, I was deciding what direction I wanted to go. I knew I wanted to get involved in the NWA community which I have been a part of for the past 25 years. And, I wanted to get my hands dirty. I wanted to see the fruits of my labor. So, when I saw a social media posting for an introductory session, I went. That was the easy part.
It is the second part of how I went from a life of corporate management to social work that requires more of an answer and is significantly more complex.
Until now, I had spent 23 years in corporate sales and management. Over the years, I moved from junior level inventory analysis to managing key accounts worth billions of dollars and had all the perks, exposure and responsibilities that go with managing fast-moving consumer goods to every retailer imaginable. Frankly, I never enjoyed the work. To be blunt, I hated it more often than not. However, the addiction to the paycheck was inescapable. And, the addiction to, the love of, money is the strongest drug in existence. No matter how much money you make, you always want more. I was paid well. It was never enough. It was, literally, an addiction -- an addiction to money.
By becoming a CASA, I entered social work. I do not get paid. I am a volunteer. I travel all over the state. I also cannot imagine doing anything else and have found myself wondering why I took so long to do this work. As a CASA, I find meaning and purpose in the work I do. As a
CASA, I am just as involved, if not more involved, with the children and the family, as the social worker because I am dedicated specifically to that family and to those children. As a CASA, I see the fruits of my labor. And, what I do is work with children who have been abused and/or neglected and removed from their homes and into foster care. I am their voice to the court that appointed me. I do not work for the state or any governmental agency. I am for the children, no one else.
The goal is simple: reunification. Unfortunately, reunification may not always be possible. It happens. Sometimes, the parents and children must go their separate ways, but I am always there for the children. Why? Because they never stop being my children -- even after the case is closed.
This is the work feeds my soul.
Carl Heffner
Springdale
Editorial on 05/17/2019