The Blog of Casa De Sara

Hi blog readers,

I thought it might be good to share with all of you why I volunteer in hopes that maybe it will help someone who is considering giving their time for charitable causes some encouragement.

My volunteer experience started in 1990 shortly after my father’s death. Like most people, I didn’t really think I had a lot of time to offer anyone else. I had just been laid off from my job as an art director for an advertising agency at the beginning of 1990. Since I was recruited from college before graduation to work on a special project for TVA I still had three classes to finish to receive my degree. I made the decision to return to college in hopes of doing just that. However, three weeks into the semester tragedy struck my family when my father was murdered at his grocery store in south Knoxville.

It’s not really possible to describe how you feel when someone you love is murdered. It’s probably one of the worst fears that we all consider. Those of you who have suffered a loss know the body has a way of just shutting everything down. Shock sets in and you just find yourself going through the motions of life but you don’t really feel like you are living at all. Since my father’s death was due to violence my family and I were overwhelmed by reporters and a police investigation. It’s been almost 18 years since the day he was killed and looking back I can only say it was the grace of God that kept me going.

My father’s death was unsolved for over six years. During that time I became active in volunteering for a victims rights organization I helped found. The organization met bi-weekly to conduct committee meetings on legislation, court-watches, research and victim support. I attended meetings with other families and individuals who had lost loved ones to homicide. I met many women who were rape vicitims. And I began to collect a large file of stories of tragedy after tragedy. It was difficult for me emotionally as we were still trying to find the individual(s) responsible for killing my father. I kept volunteering for several years and there were victories that we celebrated but they were very often “hollow” celebrations. It’s hard to find joy in keeping a killer in prison–free from parole–even though you know it’s the right thing to do. It doesn’t bring the loved one back for the family that lost them. And on the flip side, very often there is a loving family who’s son or daughter is in prison for commiting an unspeakable crime. But keeping the criminal behind bars is the only safe alternative for our society.

As the years continued to pass my zeal and energy to continue this work began to fade. It was good work and I was proud of what I was doing but my father’s unsolved crime was taking too big of an emotional toll on me. I decided to step away from my victims advocacy work. Shortly thereafter, on the fifth anniversary of my father’s death I reluctantly agreed to do another tv interview in hopes that someone would come forward with information. I had made a personal decision that it was time for me to back away from our own case and try to live my life with hope again. The day after that last interview with the press, a stranger knocked on my mother’s door. He had breaking information on our case which was turned over to the investigators. One year later two individuals were arrested for the murder of my father. Both men had been only seventeen years old when they shot my dad so we had to go through a lengthy trial that started in the juvenile courts and was transferred to the adult system. After three years, one young man was sentenced to 25 years to life for my dad’s murder. The other was freed on time served as the grand jury could only find enough evidence to charge him with “accessory after the fact”.

So it was finished. Nine years of my life were focused on this tragedy. Almost a decade of time where I had lost my dreams and hopes. But the good news is I believe God restored–and is continuing to restore–the lost time and dreams from those days. As I began to heal the desire to volunteer returned.

Having known Lori Santoro and her husband Craig Miller since college it only made sense to partner in Lori’s dream to help children. Craig and Lori had been my mainstay of sanity throughout the journey of my father’s death and trial. I started volunteering by designing the monthly newsletter for Casa de Sara. Initially I wasn’t emotionally connected to the children but that changed very quickly. As I heard about their struggles from Lori and their needs for education and healthcare I became willing to give more time to their cause.

I believe every child has a destiny of hope and a future for greatness. But that destiny cannot be met without help. They are little and so vulnerable. It is my responsibility to every child, to do what I can to make a difference for good. They are all an investment in our future. It doesn’t matter what country that child lives in. Children are all too often the victims of adults politics and wars. EVERY CHILD deserves an education and healthcare.

I hope you will partner with Casa de Sara. We are still a small organization that is run completely through volunteer efforts. Our only paid staff is the Bolivian employees of our school. Please consider a financial contribution to us. It will not go unnoticed.

If you are considering volunteering with an organization I encourage you to do so. Find a cause you are passionate about and give your time and money to it. It will make a difference for those on the receiving end of your gifts. But you will find a tremendous personal blessing that can be powerful and unexpected. Seeing lives change for the better and sharing your love is the most wonderful blessing you can have.

Gracias,
Dan Frye
President, Executive Board of Directors
Casa de Sara.