Many years ago—yes, many—I found myself in a rather memorable situation. It was a scorching summer weekend, and
Amy Smith and I were clearing out old paperwork to make room for an office expansion. In my haste, I made the mistake of throwing all the papers into the
wrong dumpster. And not just a small mistake—this was boxes upon boxes (seriously, a dumpster
full) of the wrong material. To make things worse, we had a particularly tough landlord at the time.
Now, picture this: me, standing in a filthy dumpster on a sweltering summer weekend, trying to fix my mistake. Meanwhile, Amy was wrangling our four kids—all under the age of six—who were desperately trying to escape whatever “confinements” we could come up with to keep them from running into the parking lot. We were brand-new parents, times four. It was chaos, a whole new level of "Whoa, what have we gotten ourselves into?"
At that time, I had a bit of a reputation for being intense, and I was determined to undo my blunder. So, there I was, knee-deep in garbage, while Amy, outside the dumpster, was managing her own anxiety trying to keep our little ones safe.
Then, out of nowhere, a woman approached me. She had a radiant, endless smile, and I braced myself for what I assumed would be her bewilderment at my dumpster-diving antics. Instead, she completely ignored the scene and asked about the children.
That moment marked the beginning of a long and meaningful journey for Amy and me. The woman was
Lisa Barsky Firkser, and she turned out to be one of the smartest, kindest, and most impactful people I have ever met. Lisa is a true angel—someone whose leadership and generosity make a difference in ways that are both profound and humbling. The work she does for children in our state is awe-inspiring, and if you spend any time with her, you’ll quickly see just how remarkable she is.
About a year ago, Lisa invited Amy, me, and our kids to be part of CASA’s story as they were creating a beautiful film highlighting the organization’s impact.
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is an incredible program, and it’s needed in every county, every state, for every child navigating a system that, quite frankly, is overwhelmed—especially in light of economic and immigration challenges.
I wanted to share some clips from the project with all of you because CASA’s work is truly vital. If you’d like to see the full 12-minute version of the film and learn more about CASA’s mission, please visit www.casamsc.org. I encourage you to:
1. Meet Lisa Barsky Frisker—a living angel whose work is nothing short of life-changing.
2. Support CASA—this is an opportunity to transform success into significance.
3. Take a glimpse into our family’s journey—our beautiful children continue to grow, and we’re so proud to be part of this cause.
A special shoutout to
Adam Cossman and his wonderful wife Lindsey. Not only are they great neighbors and colleagues, but they also dedicate their time, talent, and treasure to CASA of Morris/Sussex. The world needs more people like the Cossmans and Lisa. It’s an honor to work alongside you all.
