From Trauma to Hope: Stories of Foster Youth Hope to Inspire the Community

“I have never seen a picture of myself as a baby. Milestone moments were never captured and are only memories,” wrote a young woman named Linsey.

Linsey’s story is currently being shown in the From Trauma to Hope: Stories of Foster Care exhibit, along with the writings and artwork of foster youth who live or grew up in the county. The show is the fourth installation put on by the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County, and opened at La Cumbre Plaza on April 3 after touring Santa Maria, Lompoc, and Santa Ynez. It may also be the last such exhibit, indicated Kim Colby Davis, executive director of CASA, given their small staff and the labor-intensive work mounting the exhibit demands.

“Our goal with this exhibit is to share with the community in a more artistic way, because it’s hard for people to even imagine what the foster care system looks like. It’s different for everybody,” Colby Davis said.

Jessica Salutan is a volunteer who has advocated for foster youth for almost 20 years and currently works with four siblings. Salutan was put into foster care at 9 years old and left the system after becoming emancipated at age 16. Her story is part of the exhibit, featuring scenes and pictures from her life.

“When you move from foster home to foster home, you are moving with trash bags. No one I was staying with is keeping track of the art I made in school, my report cards, or school pictures. So it is almost like you go through these phases without having what you would have with parents,” said Salutan.

The exhibit is multi-media in scope. Among the pieces is a recording of a nightmarish 9-1-1 call from a six year old; other works portray personal experiences through art and collage. They are a representation of the journey more than 600 children endure each year, as well as portrayals of their successes.

CASA formed in Santa Barbara in 1993 as part of the national nonprofit, which started in 1977, to recruit and train volunteers to be advocates for neglected or abused children. CASA and its volunteers ensure that the children caught up in the court system land in a safe home by dedicating a volunteer to advocate for them at the courts.

The volunteers first go through about 30 hours of training before they begin to work with children. They get to know the child and their specific situation with the help of teachers, parents, social workers, and therapists. Volunteers typically give 10-12 hours a month, providing more than $500,000 in value each year.

[Click to expand] ‘A Stranger’s Love’ (left) and ‘Confessions of a Foster Kid’ | Credit: Lauren Solway

The exhibit features statistics of the community impact from CASA volunteers’ work. In 2024 CASA of Santa Barbara served 515 children, increasing their odds for success in life. The youth who have CASA volunteer support are less likely to be re-abused, and are four times more likely to graduate from high school.

CASA of Santa Barbara County is highly ranked among the top national CASA programs, based on the percentage of children served. It was recognized by the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara, which granted the organization $75,000 in May 2025 to upgrade its data system to improve its advocacy for foster youth.

“You want people to feel that this is the movement, and that there are gaps that need help. You want [the exhibit] to encourage others to take part and to become an advocate because while it can be emotional, it is so rewarding to know that you have a chance to make a difference in a child’s life and what path they take,” said Salutan.

From Trauma to Hope: Stories of Foster Care will be on display throughout April at La Cumbre Plaza (120 S. Hope Ave.), diagonally across from Williams Sonoma. Admission is free. Exhibit hours are Wednesday-Saturday from noon-5 p.m. The show is not recommended for children under 10.