An evening of enlightenment turned into a decade of advocacy for Melissa Protzek.

Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Melissa Protzek holds her University of Pittsburgh Women's Law Association "Woman of the Year" award in her office at CASA of Allegheny County, Downtown. Click photo for larger image.

Before beginning law school at the University of Pittsburgh in 1996, she spent an evening learning about child abuse and neglect and the foster care system in a program given by the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Allegheny County, called CASA.

Afterward, she felt she had to do something.

"This is a population that is hidden from society, these are our neighbors and these are our community's children," said Ms. Protzek.

Ms. Protzek began volunteering with CASA and now, almost 10 years later, serves as its executive director.

She was a recent recipient of the Marjorie Matson Day Woman of the Year Award from the University of Pittsburgh Women's Law Association and the Allegheny County Bar Association. The award is named for a 1937 graduate of Pitt's School of Law who was known as a civil rights champion.

Ms. Protzek's organization provides volunteer advocates to the toughest juvenile court cases. The advocates interview those who touch the child's life -- doctors, teachers, psychiatrists, family members.

They get to know the child and the family, and gain an understanding of the whole situation in which the child is living. They then write reports and testify in court about what living arrangement would be best for the child.

The program helps overloaded juvenile court judges get more information on complicated cases involving custody disputes, charges of neglect or abuse, or foster care.

"It's so rewarding and it's frustrating and overwhelming at times, but to be able to be involved is just an honor and I think that's what drew me to it in the beginning," Ms. Protzek said.

She recalled her first home visit: a teenager who muttered only one-word answers. As she worked with him and his siblings, the one-word answers became full sentences.

His younger brother, another disturbed, taciturn youth, became a good student with the help of Ms. Protzek, supportive foster parents and a Children, Youth and Families caseworker. He won several essay contests and wrote a speech in her honor.

"There's a million kids out there and she picked us to help," she recalled him saying in a speech for his school.

There hasn't, however, been a positive end to all her stories. The CASA volunteers and staffers often see the devastating consequences of abuse, neglect and family problems for the children they represent.

During her final year of law school, Ms. Protzek was offered a job as the recruitment and training coordinator for CASA. Since then, she has worked in every position at the organization except bookkeeper, and she is still an advocate for seven children.

"We can't ask our volunteers to do something that we wouldn't do ourselves," she said.

The program handles about 500 cases a year and has about 170 trained volunteers.

Ms. Protzek, the mother of a 3-year-old boy, said she sees the potential in every child.

She lets the children with whom she's worked decide whether they want to stay in touch after they get out of the system. Often, she said, CASA reminds them of a time when life was tough. And sometimes that is a reminder they don't need.

"The happiest day for me is the day they don't have to see me again," Ms. Protzek said.