DENVER — Inside the headquarters of Denver CASA, volunteers are trained to become advocates for children navigating foster care or the juvenile court system — often during some of the most difficult chapters of their young lives.
The nonprofit, which is marking 30 years of service, supports more than 300 children each year with the help of about 220 volunteers. Executive Director Karen Silverman said that consistency is one of the most important things CASA provides.
“When you’ve been through trauma, having a safe and stable person who consistently shows up for you rain or shine, that’s an amazing thing to have,” Silverman said. “It lets you know that there are people out there who care for you.”
For the past 20 years, one of those steady adults has been Dave Zinger, Denver CASA’s longest-serving volunteer. Zinger first joined the program to work one-on-one with kids, helping them navigate difficult circumstances at home and in the court system.
“You’re seeing and interacting with these kids in one of the toughest times of their lives, and you want to make it better,” Zinger said. “These kids are so deserving of caring adults — someone to support them and listen to them.”
One of the young people he worked with was George Henderson, who met Zinger as a child.
“Basically, he’s just there for me when I really need him,” Henderson said. “He’s always been there for me, and he really listens to what I have to say.”
Over the years, Zinger has taken on a new role as a peer coordinator, mentoring other CASA volunteers and helping them navigate their own cases. Volunteer Jonathan Bentley said Zinger’s guidance has been invaluable.
“His support is what gives me the confidence and the legitimacy to walk into these appointments and really advocate for these youth,” Bentley said. “Without Dave, nothing that I do would be possible.”
Colleagues describe Zinger as calm, rational and endlessly dedicated, someone who has shaped the lives of dozens of kids and the volunteers who work with them.
“He’s straightforward, caring, committed, honest,” Bentley said. Silverman agreed, calling Zinger “an amazing person” and saying the organization is “blessed to have him here.”
“First and foremost for me, it’s about the kids,” Zinger said.
Zinger added that he doesn’t view his work as heroic, just meaningful.
“Selfishly, I like to do what makes me feel good,” he said. “And doing this makes me feel tremendously good.”
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