ADVOCATE LENDSVOICE TO CHILDREN IN NEED.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

As a 6-year-old, Steve McIntire was not a typical hitchhiker.

Trapped in a custody battle after his parents' bitter divorce, he was out to escape. But an older brother found him holding his thumb out on the roadside and took him back home.

The family's trouble boiled over into court the next year, with a judge weighing whether McIntire's future would be with Mom or with Dad.

"I begged to talk to the judge, but nobody would hear of it," says McIntire, 41.

Not until years later would McIntire fully realize the importance of what happened next, how close he'd been to calamity, how one person - his school principal - changed his life.

"I was not going in a positive direction," McIntire recalls.

The principal, Trevor Russell, testified that it would take the boy days to settle down after visiting his mother. The judge sent McIntire home with his dad.

"I think it was because that principal stepped up and testified on my behalf. That was the swing. That was a voice for me," says McIntire. "That's what I see in CASA, being willing to step up and be a voice for a child."

CASA, the nonprofit Court Appointed Special Advocates program, formed in Lane County in 1994 to help juvenile court judges decide how to handle local children in foster care. Last year, 118 CASA volunteers advocated for 225 children in foster care because of abuse or neglect.

With more than 1,100 children in foster care locally, CASA could use twice as many volunteers. Because 70 percent of CASA volunteers are women, the program is reaching out to men with a informational breakfast Oct. 18.

For McIntire, joining CASA was a natural progression.

As a teenager he had resolved to become a lawyer and work with children. He passed the bar exam in 1997 and worked in family law until taking a job as corporate counsel for SELCO six years ago.

Although he has a deep understanding of family problems through his law practice, McIntire says CASA provides enough support and training that volunteers can perform confidently regardless of their background.

"The training is really phenomenal. You can talk to seasoned CASAs. There are resources for you. CASA will not leave you out there hanging," says McIntire, who is in his first year as an advocate for a 15-month-old girl in foster care.

CASAs are bound by strict rules of confidentiality about their clients.

"I think my role is simple: What does this child need to be successful? I think I've had some positive influence. Through a lot of people's efforts, she has progressed a long way," McIntire says.

"I see myself doing this for a long time. Those kids need a voice."

McIntire says he wishes he could find Russell, whose voice helped him so long ago. McIntire tried unsuccessfully to find him after he passed the bar exam 10 years ago.

"I would love to find him," McIntire says. "It was a turning point. Who knows where I'd be? I wouldn't be here today, I'm firmly convinced."

As a 6-year-old, Steve McIntire was not a typical hitchhiker.

Trapped in a custody battle after his parents' bitter divorce, he was out to escape. But an older brother found him holding his thumb out on the roadside and took him back home.

The family's trouble boiled over into court the next year, with a judge weighing whether McIntire's future would be with Mom or with Dad.

"I begged to talk to the judge, but nobody would hear of it," says McIntire, 41.

Not until years later would McIntire fully realize the importance of what happened next, how close he'd been to calamity, how one person - his school principal - changed his life.

"I was not going in a positive direction," McIntire recalls.

The principal, Trevor Russell, testified that it would take the boy days to settle down after visiting his mother. The judge sent McIntire home with his dad.

"I think it was because that principal stepped up and testified on my behalf. That was the swing. That was a voice for me," says McIntire. "That's what I see in CASA, being willing to step up and be a voice for a child."

CASA, the nonprofit Court Appointed Special Advocates program, formed in Lane County in 1994 to help juvenile court judges decide how to handle local children in foster care. Last year, 118 CASA volunteers advocated for 225 children in foster care because of abuse or neglect.

With more than 1,100 children in foster care locally, CASA could use twice as many volunteers. Because 70 percent of CASA volunteers are women, the program is reaching out to men with a informational breakfast Oct. 18.

For McIntire, joining CASA was a natural progression.

As a teenager he had resolved to become a lawyer and work with children. He passed the bar exam in 1997 and worked in family law until taking a job as corporate counsel for SELCO six years ago.

Although he has a deep understanding of family problems through his law practice, McIntire says CASA provides enough support and training that volunteers can perform confidently regardless of their background.

"The training is really phenomenal. You can talk to seasoned CASAs. There are resources for you. CASA will not leave you out there hanging," says McIntire, who is in his first year as an advocate for a 15-month-old girl in foster care.

CASAs are bound by strict rules of confidentiality about their clients.

"I think my role is simple: What does this child need to be successful? I think I've had some positive influence. Through a lot of people's efforts, she has progressed a long way," McIntire says.

"I see myself doing this for a long time. Those kids need a voice."

McIntire says he wishes he could find Russell, whose voice helped him so long ago. McIntire tried unsuccessfully to find him after he passed the bar exam 10 years ago.

"I would love to find him," McIntire says. "It was a turning point. Who knows where I'd be? I wouldn't be here today, I'm firmly convinced."

STEVE McINTIRE

Job: Corporate counsel, SELCO Community Credit Union

Volunteer work: Court Appointed Special Advocate, an advocacy group for foster children

Family: Wife, Crystal; two dogs, Deva, aka "Snack Time," and Besitos, Spanish for "little kisses."