The teenager teetered, but the CASA advocate to that young person saw promise and stayed close. The steadiness paid off years later, with the news delivered in a phone call.
"Hey, guess where I'm at?" the advocate asked Gilda Gonzales, the executive director of CASA of Monterey County in California. "This young person got accepted to a top-level university.”
The CASA advocate was there for the moment.
"It just gives me chills,” Gonzales says.
The story symbolizes why a probation judge, in one of Gonzales' meetings with community leaders after she began this role in early 2026, told her he didn't refer to the organization by its official name, Court Appointed Special Advocates.
"I call you all ‘Court Appointed Special Angels,’" the judge told Gonzales. "I've seen firsthand the miracles you and your organization have made in young people's lives."
Moments like that are what K&D Landscaping hopes to multiply. CASA of Monterey County, which relies heavily on donations from organizations and individuals to advocate for abused or neglected children and youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, will get a financial boost from K&D. The Watsonville, Calif., company designated CASA as the beneficiary of its third annual K&D Classic golf tournament Aug. 28 in Aptos, Calif.
K&D, an Aspire customer, is drawing support from ServiceTitan and its Power the Nation campaign to deliver impact in Monterey County and nearby.
"CASA gives a lane to serve the youth that might have, at certain points, been forgotten," says Tony Battistella, K&D's director of growth. "As a child, if you're in an unfortunate circumstance, it's very, very hard to speak up for yourself for what necessarily should be the right move. CASA creates an environment where people can and children can have a voice."
One advocate, one young person, one voice
CASA of Monterey County recruits community volunteers willing to complete 35 hours of training, pass an extensive background check and be sworn in by the courts before taking on a case.
Unlike the social workers and attorneys who cycle through a foster child's life juggling dozens of cases apiece, a CASA volunteer is assigned to just one young person, committing to a minimum of 10 hours and two visits a month, typically for 18 to 24 months.
That focus, Gonzales says, is what lets a CASA learn a child's interests, history and hopes well enough to speak for them credibly at every court hearing tied to their case.
"Every child, every youth, despite the trauma or other things that have happened to them, there's always a possibility to change the trajectory and enable them to heal and flourish for their future," Gonzales says.
In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the organization expanded beyond foster care to also serve youth in the juvenile justice system and those struggling with truancy, reflecting what Gonzales calls a belief that "every young person counts" and that a child's future doesn't have to be defined by their trauma.
The work shows up in small, tangible ways. Some CASAs hold what the organization calls "education rights," stepping in to make schooling decisions for a child, and currently about 17% of the volunteer base hold these rights for their assigned young person.
Others simply widen a child's world. Gonzales notes that some youth served by CASAs have lived their whole lives 20-30 minutes from the Pacific Ocean without ever seeing it, which is part of why the organization builds in outings like a horseback ranch visit or a backpack drive before the school year starts.
Forty-four children and youth — “a singular pain point for me,” Gonzales says — in Monterey County await an advocate in cases where a judge has already ordered a CASA be assigned but the volunteer advocate is missing.
At roughly $8,800 to fully support one advocate getting recruited, trained and supported, Gonzales estimates clearing that waitlist would take more than $350,000.
Why K&D supports CASA
Gonzales met K&D Landscaping representatives at a Salinas Chamber of Commerce breakfast in February, just weeks into her tenure. Within minutes of introducing themselves, the two sides realized K&D was already looking for a beneficiary for its golf tournament.
The late August tournament will send 100% of proceeds to CASA of Monterey County. K&D’s support is amplified by ServiceTitan's Power the Nation program, which helps customers extend their community impact.
For Battistella, a team leader for a thriving trades company, the connection is personal.
"If I didn't have resources given to me as a child," he says, "there's no chance I'd be in the position I am today."
That means the opportunity is there for another young person now. K&D Landscaping sees its golf tournament as a chance to invest in a community that has invested in the company.
"It’s about seeing people who might have grown up underserved that end up working for our company and starting a career and end up fulfilling the goal of raising the bar in the landscape industry and having a massive impact on our community,” Battistella says. “Some of that might not have even been possible without services like CASA."
K&D Landscaping is becoming one more angel in support of CASA of Monterey County.
"They've just been incredible,” Gonzales says, “and have made it so easy for us to be a part of this beautiful event.”
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