"I’ve Seen the Benefits to the Children and Felt the Rewards of Making a Difference."

"When I get a case, it is mine to make as good as I can possibly make it."

I would attribute any success I’ve had as a CASA volunteer to my life in the military. I learned to keep good records, to deal with people, to accept and embrace responsibility.

Ken Bailey’s 46 years of service in the Army included commanding a field artillery battalion in Vietnam, working three tours in the Pentagon, and serving on the personal staff of the Secretary of the Defense. His career included duty at the NATO Headquarters in Belgium and at the Headquarters of the Pacific Command in Hawaii.

Today, Bailey is leading a different charge: striving to provide a CASA volunteer to every child in Hawaii who needs one.

Bailey was introduced to the CASA program by a radio PSA seven years ago. Already contributing to his community as a leader in the local rotary and the chamber of commerce, Bailey was attracted to CASA work by its element of independence.  

“I like the idea of working independently and knowing that I can make a difference. When I get a case, it is mine to make as good as I can possibly make it. I enjoy taking a case and seeing it all the way through,” says Bailey.

Bailey says his most noteworthy assignment was his most recent one: A shaken baby, to whom he was assigned a day and a half after the baby was admitted into the hospital. Severely damaged, the doctors did not think the frail boy was going to survive.

“The chaplain was standing by to console the parents in case he died. But somehow he hung in there.”

Bailey says the case took over three years to resolve and involved several trials. Eventually, the child’s biological mother—a member of the Air Force—lost her parental rights and the boy found a permanent home with a loving mother who embraced him and his many medical challenges. She wanted to keep him in the care of the team of doctors at the military hospital, but under Air Force policies, he no longer qualified for care as a military dependent.

Bailey put his military skills and knowledge of the system’s workings to use to advocate for the continuation of care for the fragile child, who could not walk, speak, turn over or feed himself.

“I was able to request an exception to policy from the secretary of the Army. Took me eight or nine months to do it, I finally ended up calling the Pentagon and complaining that the military was not supporting us. We did win an exception to policy, and the boy continues to be treated at the military hospital here in Hawaii. When you think of where we started—in the intensive care unit—and where he’s ended up—in a loving home—it just couldn’t be a better outcome,” says Bailey.

For the last two years, Bailey has turned his attention from being a volunteer advocate to founding and leading the nascent Friends of CASA—Hawaii, an organization of nine board members who are raising awareness of the CASA cause and recruiting much-needed volunteers for the organization. He refers to the group as a “work in progress,” while admitting to early successes, including expanding community outreach efforts and increasing the number of volunteers being trained at Hawaiian CASA programs.

Bailey says that he is well into his retirement, and the time is coming to slow down and pass some of his responsibilities to others. But he is holding on to his CASA work.

“This is a unique program, the only one of its kind that I am aware of. I’ve seen the benefits to the children and felt the rewards of making a difference. This will be the last thing that I ever let go of.” 

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