Fighting for Victims of Abuse

Jody Coaston Posthumously Honored as a 2025 Volunteer of the Year

This past spring, ProKids lost a longtime advocate and partner in our mission: Jody Coaston, whose fight for victims of abuse spanned from her start as a CASA Volunteer in 1997 to her later work as a youth case manager. Jody was a mentor, a founding member of ProKids’ Steps to Peace (or STOP) Program, and a truly beloved community member.

Kathy, our longtime ProKids’ Steps to Peace program manager, actually joined ProKids three years after Jody became a CASA Volunteer. In Jody, she met a CASA who was kind, patient, and a good listener — someone with a firm grasp on the role of a CASA and someone Kathy herself could learn from.

Jody thoughtfully approached both kids and adults with a calmness that inspired trust. Kathy recalls that “she didn’t strike fear in anyone’s hearts … wasn’t threatening at all.”

Jody was also sarcastic, putting a “wicked” sense of humor to work when connecting to others — from ProKids teens to system professionals.

Even in the toughest cases, Jody’s instincts and outlook were exemplary. And her nature — to listen more than she spoke and to empower others to be heard — came in handy.

In one domestic violence case, the mom had hesitated to report the abuse because of financial dependence on the father. Their 13-year-old daughter, “Emma,” was caught in the middle — scared for her mom and anxious about their future.

Jody, with her ability to get others to open up, discovered what was going on and convinced mom to seek help. Jody also worked with her traumatized girl to ensure she got counseling — had a person she could talk to.

When mom finally reported to the police what was happening, she left the father and started down a new path with her daughter. She credited Jody, but Jody told her: it took the whole team, especially you, to get here.

All that experience meant that pretty soon, Jody was acting as a mentor to her fellow CASAs. And as Kathy embarked on the creation of ProKids’ Steps to Peace or STOP Program (which offers consultation and training to those working with kids exposed to domestic violence), Kathy tapped Jody to help conduct research. She was instrumental in understanding best practices and building a curriculum to inform ProKids and its partners.

When Jody went on to take a position as a youth case manager, Kathy and Jody remained connected, sharing learnings, resources, and discussing ways to improve all kids’ outcomes.

We are deeply grateful for this powerful collaboration — and for the way Jody always spoke up for our kids, like Emma, and so many others.

Jody’s husband accepts the award on her family’s behalf.