Volunteer Spotlight: Meet the Roepes!

Bert and Lynn Roepe have always loved working with children. After raising four of their own, it was only natural that they were drawn to a volunteer experience giving back to children. Both were sworn in as CASAs at separate times—Bert in 2013 and Lynn in 2017. During their time at CASA, they have both contributed far and wide to Fairfax CASA’s mission of advocating for CASA children.

Bert has served eight families and 16 children. He has been a part of 13 children’s cases closing. He has also spent 3,272 hours working on his CASA cases and traveled 6,904 miles to do so. Lynn has served four families and 12 children. She has been a part of nine children’s cases closing. She has traveled 4663 miles and worked 1,939 hours giving back to her CASA children and their families.

The Roepes’ supervisor Mary Mulvenon says, “Lynn and Bert are detailed-oriented, super-organized, effective child advocates who care deeply about the children in their cases. Between them, they currently have three cases – one case they work together, and they each have one case of their own. Lynn and Bert enjoy traveling, and I am always impressed that no matter where they are in the world, they put their CASA work first – never missing a timesheet deadline, staying in close touch with the service providers and DFS Specialists on their cases, and always attending FPMs or working in virtual visits while they are away. The case that Lynn and Bert share has had many ups and downs in the three years that it has been open, and they have handled the issues beautifully by remaining open-minded and always focusing on the best interests and safety of the children. Lynn and Bert are particularly good at crafting creative solutions to issues that arise in their cases, and their mindful and respectful approach to working with everyone involved is appreciated. Thank you, Lynn and Bert, for all the time and effort you give to Fairfax CASA!”

We know the Roepes will continue to be tenacious in advocating for the best interests of the children they serve. Read on to learn more about the Roepes and their time as CASAs.


Are you from the area?

Bert: I was born in DC and raised in Arlington. I didn’t think I would stay here; I thought I would end up moving to the west coast after high school. After Lynn and I got married, we moved here, and we’ve stayed in Fairfax County.

Lynn: I grew up in Richmond, VA. Bert and I met when we were in college because we were camp counselors at an overnight church camp in the mountains of Virginia. We dated all throughout college; Bert went to George Mason, and I went to Virginia Tech. We got married after college. I’ve been up here in the Northern Virginia area ever since then.

Are you retired? What did you do prior?

Bert: I retired a while back. We have always been interested in doing other things with our lives after our careers and raising a family. We planned for retirement, did all the right things and with some luck, we were able to retire a little early. I had a great career in information technology as a director managing large organizations in both the private sector and the government. A last good chunk of my career was in the private sector in the government. I loved my career but after 30 plus years of it, I was ready to go and do other things in life.

Lynn: Out of college, I had my first job managing a recreation center in Arlington and then we had our first child. When our second child was born, I decided to pause my career and work on raising our family. Children three and four were then born, so it was more of a reason to stay home. As they aged, and our eldest daughter was a teenager, I went back to work. At my last job, I was a program manager at Frying Pan Farm Park. I was in the visitors center there. It’s a working farm that the Fairfax County Park authority has preserved. I found it really rewarding to work with kids that grow up in the city or the suburbs and get to experience what farm life was like. There are horses and chickens and goats and cows and all kinds of farm animals they can visit in person.

When you’re not being a CASA what can we find each of you doing?

Lynn: Another volunteering experience we both participated in for the last seven years is an annual mission trip affiliated with our church. Our team goes to Honduras every February for several weeks to work on homebuilding with communities in rural Copan. We won’t be going this year because we are expecting our first grandchild!

Besides CASA, which really touches our hearts, these other endeavors are also very meaningful. Retirement is a great adventure. Traveling is fun, but these other experiences are what make it meaningful.

Bert: We still haven’t gotten the travel bug out since we’ve retired. Like our CASA work it’s one of those things we enjoy doing together as a couple. I am also a beekeeper. I do it with a group of friends—it’s a nice activity for retired guys to work together on. I spent most of my career behind a desk, so when we’re not doing CASA work and traveling, we’re usually outside working with the hives, boating, biking, working on projects.

What brought you two to CASA?

Bert: Our kids were grown, and I was looking for volunteer work that was a little more substantial. I came across CASA in an ad. It was for an information session. I thought, “That seems like something that would be really challenging.” It seemed like the kind of thing we could give back to, and I haven’t looked back since. It’s been really rewarding, but it’s also something where I make a lot of little impacts. I then introduced Lynn to the idea.

Do you work on any of the same cases?

Bert: Currently, we work on one joint case together. We also each have our own on top of that. So, between us there are three. My CASA kid is in a good placement, but it’s impermanent and the next challenge is getting that permanency. But he’s doing great.

What is your most memorable experience that has come with being a CASA?

Lynn: There are so many. Our first joint case was four brothers who ended up being adopted all together. We are on friendly terms with the adoptive family. This May, the adoptive father sent us a picture of the oldest child with a cardboard check, apparently, he got a full scholarship to a university.

We weren’t his first CASA. He had two stints in the court system as a youth growing up before he reached this placement. The fact that he is thriving to this extent—we were just so amazed.

What is the best part of being a CASA?

Lynn: Some of it is kind of hard because you don’t know what your impact will be. Your hope is that you have stuck with the situation and advocated in a way that will improve their life. Whatever the reason for them coming in [to the system] we hope that they can then get the support and get the guidance and to be able to then start anew with their lives and go on to become productive teenagers or adults.

What do you find difficult about being a CASA?

Bert: I don’t think there’s a CASA that hasn’t struggled with getting people to respond to them and getting them to provide the information we need to do our work. Sometimes the best outcomes on the case come from having all the professionals like the DFS specialist, school staff, therapists, and the GALs working together. And I know we all have our own roles, but it’s amazing when everyone works as a team. Also, I see the best outcomes when the whole family is involved, if possible.

Finally, what advice would you give to someone considering becoming a CASA volunteer, based on your own experiences and insights gained from this role?

Lynn: One aspect is being able to make the commitment. Our case is almost at three and a half years. We take on all our cases, and we are committed to staying with them till the end no matter what. I understand peoples’ lives change, but it’s also about the long-term relationship you build with the client and the continuity we provide that is so special and unique to our CASA role.


Thank you, Bert and Lynn for your commitment to advocacy and always protecting the best interest of the children you serve!