Volunteer Spotlight: Kathy Watson

Our Advocate Spotlight this month is on Kathy Watson! Kathy has lived in the Gorge for 25 years. She and her husband, Stu, took the CASA training together and were sworn in as CASA Volunteer Advocates on June 12, 2024. Kathy had been an advocate previously, but business obligations had to take precedence, so she was forced to put her advocacy on hold until recently. Upon rejoining the program, she was very glad that the training is now more expansive and feels that having a continuing education requirement gives her a chance to learn more about her advocacy and ways in which to maximize her impact.

Kathy was raised in a home that she feels, by today’s standards, would have been considered emotionally and physically abusive; the results of those experiences inform a lot of her advocacy. The impact of those experiences shapes much of her advocacy. She strives to be the person she wishes had been there for her as a child. Her favorite part of being an advocate is seeing the smiles of the children when they walk in the door. She realizes that the children she and her husband are working with know that they are there for them and that they are building real, lasting relationships with them.

“Kathy has been an eager advocate from the start, diving into a very difficult case shortly after the children came into care,” expressed her supervisor Jenn Wass. “She and her husband Stu have been the only consistent people throughout the case. Working alongside her in this process, I have seen her dedication and care for these children and their future.”

Cooking is a passion of Kathy’s, and she has used that skill to connect with the children. As an activity, she and Stu made food with them from the children's country of origin and even inspired one of them to participate in a cooking competition. Previously, Kathy worked as the chef and owner of Viento in Bingen and Nora's Table in Hood River.

Kathy's advice to anyone who is considering becoming a CASA advocate is to consider it carefully. It is a true commitment and responsibility, but one that she feels is so worthwhile, with full support from the Columbia Gorge CASA staff, who are always available with wisdom and advice.

In her personal life, Kathy has written a memoir and a novel, and the novel, Orphans of the Living, will be coming out with She Writes Press on Sept. 30, 2025. She was a journalist and public relations executive for many years, including six years as editor-in-chief of Oregon Business magazine.

LEARN HOW YOU CAN BECOME AN ADVOCATE LIKE KATHY!