Volunteer Serves Guardian Ad Litem Program for More Than Three Decades

July 30, 2021 – Sarasota

Cynthia Anderson has been volunteering for the Guardian Ad Litem program for the past 31 years and at 85 is still going strong with no plans to retire.

“It’s become a part of my life,” Anderson said. “How you use your time is important. You have a choice of whether you let your mind grow cobwebs or you do something stimulating.”

Anderson and her husband retired to Sarasota from New York more than 31 years ago and she was soon looking for a place to volunteer. She said some neighbors told her about the Guardian Ad Litem Program and she was convinced her background as a teacher would benefit the program.

She decided she wanted to volunteer because she was tired of seeing terrible things and asking “why does this happen?” without doing something about it. “Once I got started I decided this is something I want to do with my time,” Anderson said.

A GAL is a unique concept in the juvenile court system: a trained and certified community volunteer appointed by the judge to speak up for an abused or neglected child in court. The GAL acts as the vital information link between the court and the child, making independent, objective recommendations regarding the child’s best interests. GAL volunteers receive in-depth training on the court process, child development, abuse and neglect, cultural differences, advocacy, interviewing techniques and social service education. The goal is for every child to have representation.

A lot has changed in 31 years, but Anderson said keeping the children at the center of every case has remained the top priority. And the program is more vital to the welfare of children today than ever before because there are so many more children who are in foster care, largely because of the opioid crisis.

Anderson was a volunteer when Toni Latortue, now program director for the 12^th Judicial Circuit, was a new employee. Latortue said she learned a lot from the seasoned volunteer. “She was always a joy to work with and really did a thorough job on her cases,” Latortue said. She connects with the children she serves because “she always has a smile on her face and is a kind person.”

Anderson is not alone. Across the state there are a handful of volunteer child advocates with at least 30 years of service. It’s a testament to the good the program does and to the commitment volunteers feel once they join the ranks. 

“While we’re in the picture, we’re a constant presence for the child,” Anderson said. “We’re there for the good or bad. They know they can count on their Guardian Ad Litem.”

Nina Sumilang, assistant circuit director for the program in the 12^th Circuit, remembers working with Anderson as a new attorney in Sarasota. She said Anderson was a fierce advocate for the children and didn’t mind asking tough questions. She worked to make sure the children she represented got the best outcomes possible.

She added it’s heartbreaking for the children who don’t have volunteers because there are not enough volunteers to handle all of the cases.

She remembers visiting one child in a girls’ shelter and whenever she arrived at the shelter to visit, she would always have several other children asking whether she could be their guardian too.

“They want a Guardian. They want someone to be a presence in their lives,” Anderson said. “They might not always like you, but they know you are there for them.”

Anderson said volunteering for Guardian Ad Litem is rewarding even though “there isn’t a high percentage of happy endings. Sometimes all you can want is for the kids to get through it with the least amount of damage possible.”

In recent years the drug epidemic has made everything even less predictable. “It’s like you’re walking on a balance beam or a big ball, you just never know when you’re going to fall. Nothing is linear, you think you’re going along just fine and then it falls apart. When the parents are on drugs, they will tell you what they think you want to hear. You don’t want to be cynical, but you can’t have your head in the clouds either.”

She said being a Guardian is a huge responsibility and sometimes you don’t realize it until you’re on a case.

“In the beginning, you don’t know what it’s like,” she said. “There’s nothing boring about it and every case is a different chapter. After a while you just do it and it becomes a part of your life.”