Diana Smith

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Volunteer of the Year Award

Diana Smith has been a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) since 1999 with Enotah CASA, Inc.  Since January 2003, Diana has given approximately 305 hours to children and families she advocates for and has driven 4,167 miles to ensure quality representation of the children.  In her work with CASA, Diana has shown outstanding commitment to the children as well as the families, going above and beyond in working towards reuniting families if at all possible.  Diana searched the North Georgia School system to find an interpreter for Spanish and Japanese to aid in the reunification of 2 separate families.  She and her husband drove a parent to a city 100 miles away on 3 different occasions to obtain a driver’s license so he could be in compliance with the court order and case plan and bring his child back home.  She often times calls up foster homes and case managers to remind them that a child’s birthday is coming up so that even the little things aren’t overlooked.  She has shown an outstanding ability to collaborate with the different agencies involved in juvenile court proceedings, gaining respect from the Judge and various case managers.   The children she serves are incredibly impacted by the volunteer spirit and integrity she brings to the process of finding permanency for abused and neglected children.

Prior to volunteering with Enotah CASA, Diana was a CASA with the Florida Guardian ad Litum program.  She worked in the juvenile probation program and taught 1^st through 6^th grades special education.  She and her husband are retired and live in the Northeast Georgia Mountains with 12 dogs that they have rescued.