DAILY NEWS PEOPLE : RENNE BILSON.Byline: - Minerva A. Hernandez Call it destiny or call it a coincidence. Sometimes we chase our dreams and sometimes our dreams find us. Renne Bilson always had dreamed of becoming a social worker but never quite reached that goal until she joined CASA Ca´sa n. 1. A house or mansion. I saw that Enriquez had made no attempt to modernize the old casa, and that even the garden was left in its lawless native luxuriance. - Bret Harte. (Court Appointed Special Advocates CASA or Court Appointed Special Advocate is a national association that supports and promotes a court-appointed advocate on behalf of abused or neglected children in order to provide a safe and healthy environment in permanent homes. ), a program that uses volunteers to make a difference in the lives of children who have been abused or neglected. ``Give the Light of Hope to a Child'' is the motto that CASA has chosen for this year's public awareness campaign and fund-raiser in which 50,000 lights will illuminate the sky of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. - one light for every child who has been abused, neglected or abandoned in Los Angeles County. Proceeds will provide volunteers with supervision and training through CASA to support and advocate for the children. AGE: 53 RESIDENCE: Studio City BORN AND RAISED IN: New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. ; moved to the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. in 1970. MARITAL STATUS marital status, n the legal standing of a person in regard to his or her marriage state. : Has been married to Bruce for 18 years. CHILDREN: One son, 23-year-old Drew. OCCUPATION: Housewife. VOLUNTEERISM: ``Once a particular child is assigned to me by the court, I first meet the child to start building a relationship with him or her. Depending on the child's age and needs, I work with teachers, foster parents or natural parents. The goal is to provide a stable place for the child.'' HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?: ``I always wanted to be a social worker, so when my friend Jackie Dolan spoke to me about the program, I became very enthusiastic about it. This would be the closest I'd get to do any type of social work, and I'm proud to be a part of it.'' WHY DO YOU VOLUNTEER?: ``Being able to make a difference in a child's life - even if it's in a small way - is the most rewarding feeling one can experience. One of the youngsters once sent me a letter saying that whenever she is tempted to do something wrong, she sort of `hears my voice' and thinks twice about it. It made me feel good to know that somehow I had impacted this girl's way of thinking.'' MOST DIFFICULT DAILY TASK: ``Exercising. I find it difficult to get into an exercise routine.'' FAVORITE DAILY TASK: ``My husband and I take our dog for a daily walk. I find it very relaxing.'' BIGGEST DILEMMA: ``Earlier in my volunteer work with the program, I felt a little guilty. I didn't want my son to feel neglected when I had to go and visit with a child, but it all turned out all right.'' GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: ``Seeing my son maturing into a nice young man. Another accomplishment that gave me great satisfaction was to find a home that was able to adopt three siblings siblings npl (formal) → frères et sœurs mpl (de mêmes parents) ; I was overwhelmed o·ver·whelm tr.v. o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms 1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline. 2. a. with joy when I learned about it.'' GOALS FOR THE FUTURE: ``To continue helping the CASA program through fund-raising and to see a continuing growth.'' ROLE MODELS: ``The minister of my church in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , Dr. Finlay. He had a lot of influence in shaping my character. I highly respected him.'' HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS: ``Making a difference in the world.'' VALLEY HANGOUTS: ``The Out Take Cafe in Studio City.'' FAVORITE ACTIVITIES ``Sailing and tennis.'' WHAT WOULD BE A PERFECT DAY FOR YOU?: ``Playing tennis in the morning and then spending time "Spending Time" is the first single released by Christian artist Stellar Kart. The lyrics describe the band members desire to spend "more time with God". "Sometimes it’s a real struggle to spend time with God. with the CASA kids.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Renne Bilson Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer |
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