Allyne Smith is being honored as the first Second Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem Volunteer of the Month. Allyne has been serving children in our community over the last year-and-a-half.
Guardian ad Litem's Volunteer of the Month is chosen by one of our twelve child advocate managers. Paige Nirenberg serves as the primary child advocate manager for Jefferson County. When asked about a volunteer that lately has set themselves apart from others, Paige was quick to nominate Allyne Smith.
Allyne currently works as a paralegal while also attending to her two-and-half-year-old, pro-bono family work, running her neighborhood association, and finishing up her bachelor's degree in legal studies. While most could not also add a volunteer role to that list, Allyne insists that Guardian ad Litem is the one thing she gets to do for herself.
Paige reports that she admires how Allyne is able to balance her life and the volunteer child advocate role while going above and beyond to help advocate for children. What really stands out to Paige currently is how Allyne is continuing to follow through with the parents of the child while multiple parties are pursuing a termination of parental rights. "Most volunteers would stop communication with the parents but Allyne has even gone to their new home," said Paige.
Allyne has always had an interest in volunteering. While she did want to volunteer as a Guardian ad Litem as a teenager, Allyne could not do so because of age restrictions, she found other ways to engage in her community. As a teenager, Allyne volunteered 300 hours with the Red Cross and in college she joined a co-ed service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. After several years of not volunteering due to working as a professional and the birth of her son, Allyne realized the need for herself to apply to Guardian ad Litem. Since that moment, Allyne has been serving as a volunteer child advocate for eight children in our community.
What keeps Allyne serving as a volunteer child advocate with her full plate you may ask? "I've always wanted to do it and it's rewarding as I thought it would be," Allyne answered. "This is what I do for me."
The most rewarding part of Allyne's role has been the children themselves. It's clear when you hear her speak about them, "their faces light up, they run and give you hugs," and she loves spending time with them. Allyne reports that most of the children in the dependency system just need a stable person who shows them love and consistency.
To those who are like Allyne and had Guardian ad Litem on their minds for years this is her message to you. "It is so much more rewarding than you ever think it's going to be. There's always going to be other kids, we need more volunteers. It's not much to do two hours a week. Most of what I do can fit anywhere in my schedule."
If you are interested in becoming a Guardian ad Litem or know someone who could be, please call Maritza Waddle at 850-606-1213 or check out www.gal2.org.
