Dallas CASA’s First 30-Year Volunteer
Showing Up: Larry Dolan Reflects on a Lifetime of Service
(Featured photo: Larry Dolan, Sky Harrison.)
When Larry Dolan became a Dallas CASA volunteer advocate in 1997, he wasn’t looking to make history. He was simply looking for a way to make a difference.
Now 30 years later, that decision has changed the lives of nearly 170 children in foster care and earned Dolan recognition as Dallas CASA’s longest-serving volunteer advocate. This year, he will become the first volunteer in the organization’s history to reach 30 years of service and will be honored with the 2026 Jan and Judge Barefoot Sanders Champion of Children Award.
Dolan’s decades of advocacy have also received statewide recognition. He received the Texas Governor’s Volunteer Award for his work on behalf of children who have experienced abuse and neglect and for mentoring fellow Dallas CASA volunteers.
After leaving a monotonous but successful career in sales, Dolan was searching for greater purpose when he spotted a small newspaper ad for Dallas CASA.
“I thought, ‘Well, that sounds good,'” he recalled.
What began as a volunteer opportunity became a calling.
“No one else does exactly what a CASA volunteer does,” Dolan said. “CASA is in the middle of everything and knows the children and cases so well.”
For much of his time as a CASA volunteer, Dolan also worked as a substitute teacher at a local Catholic school, a role he held until 2020. The experience reinforced his belief that all children deserve the same opportunities and support.
“I would walk into class and look at the students and draw comparisons with my CASA kids, who came from difficult situations,” he said. “I would see my class and wish that was the chance all kids got in life.”
Over the years, Dolan has learned that children in foster care often need something simple but powerful: an adult who consistently shows up.
One moment crystallized that lesson.
Dolan had spent years advocating for a young man who struggled with significant mental health and behavioral challenges. One day, he arrived early for a court hearing he didn’t need to attend. As he waited, the young man entered the hallway, spotted him and yelled, “Larry! I knew you would be here!”
The moment stopped him cold.
To Dolan, attending the hearing felt like a small act. To the young man, it meant everything.
“I care about these kids, and I show up for them,” Dolan said. “The kids know you and expect you to show up. It’s humbling.”
Perhaps the most enduring example of his impact came years after another case had closed.
In 1998, Dolan was assigned to advocate for five siblings in foster care, including a quiet nine-year-old girl. He helped ensure she received needed services and support. Years later, Dallas CASA called with unexpected news: the child he had once represented had grown up, graduated from college and was applying to become a CASA volunteer herself.
That child was Sky Harrison.
Today, Harrison advocates for children in foster care as a Dallas CASA volunteer. Dolan attended her swearing-in ceremony and describes reconnecting with her as one of the greatest joys of his life.
Despite the difficult circumstances many children face, Dolan remains hopeful.
His outlook, he says, isn’t about whether the glass is half full or half empty.
“I’m just grateful I have a glass.” For nearly three decades, that gratitude and unwavering commitment to show up have helped hundreds of children navigate some of the most uncertain moment.
Dallas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) seeks to protect children, restore childhood and help child victims of abuse or neglect achieve their full potential. The agency’s trained and supervised community volunteers are assigned by judges to advocate for the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect and are living in the protective care of the state. For many children in foster care, their Dallas CASA volunteer is the only consistent, caring adult in their lives during a frightening, uncertain time. Dallas CASA envisions a day when all children experience safe childhoods and grow into resourceful, healthy adults. Now in its 46th year, Dallas CASA serves more children than any of the more than 900 CASA programs nationwide. Since 2019, Dallas CASA has been able to accept 100% of court appointments to Dallas County child welfare cases. In 2025, 1,117 Dallas CASA volunteers were assigned to advocate for 2,350 children in protective care. To learn more, visit dallascasa.org.
*Photos courtesy Dallas CASA
(Philanthropy Lifestyles promotion.)
