“I love working with CASE kids!” That simple statement was enough to get Bri’s family to ask questions and listen to her talk about the blessing she experiences as she builds relationships with CASE kids and watches them grow in both skills and character. Brianne Botzum has been serving as a volunteer with CASE, our after-school program, for 3 years. This year, Bri moved to the position of Site Lead at Neely’s Bend Middle School, and now three other members of her family are part of CASE’s volunteer staff.
Bri talked to me about her family, especially her mother. “Having my mom at my site has been great because we have a dynamic that allows us to jump into a variety of situations and know how to function well together. I don’t think I imagined when I started CASE that I would work beside my mother and more than that, enjoy it. We work together so well. When our students’ parents find out that both mother and daughter work together in the after school program, they are surprisingly pleased. They love that their children are exposed to the youthful energy of a college student and the wisdom and care of a mom of grown children.” Bri said that she too sees the benefit of a range of ages when working with middle schoolers.
Brittan joined CASE a few years after her sister. “At first, I was asked to come to the CASE program and do a special activity during the last half of the program. I didn’t have a lot of experience with that age group, but I enjoyed my time with the kids. I appreciated the work of getting a middle-schooler’s attention and keeping it because of the quality of the activity and the enthusiasm of the presenter. It went so well, I was asked to do another activity. I noticed that I was getting more confident -- developing in my ability to work with kids. In the past, I always said that I loved working with children but younger children, not middle school age. Now middle school is the age group I feel more connected to--it’s the age group I want to work with. My sister, Brianne, may have sparked my interest, but working with the kids enlightened my passion. I thank God for this opportunity to serve these youth.
Bri’s brother, Blake, is the newest CASE volunteer. Blake is 18 years old but told me that the first time he heard about CASE was a couple a years ago from his sister, Bri. “I thought it was cool that she was serving middle-school kids, but it was when my other sister, Brittan, began working for CASE that I began to think about it more seriously. Brittan talked about the CASE program and the kids all the time. I’ve never seen her this passionate about something.
After a trip to El Salvador, what his sisters told him about CASE took on new meaning. “Even though working with middle school kids seemed like a good thing to do, I realized after coming back from a mission trip to El Salvador that I didn’t have a lot of skill set when it came to working with kids. I was challenged both developmentally and spiritually and needed to grow in that aspect. I obeyed, got involved with working with kids, and watched my skills and passion grow. Right now I can’t see myself not doing CASE in the future. My sisters and I often talk together about how much we love what we do.”
Doug and Tresa Botzum raised these responsible young people. And they’ve moved to Nashville in effort to join their children in doing ministry with G.O.D. Int’l. All three of the Botzum children are students at the Institute of G.O.D. Their education in God’s word is being lived out in their service to Nashville’s youth as these family members serve in 3 different surrounding middle schools.
C.A.S.E. is a program of the Nashville After Zone Alliance. The Nashville After Zone Alliance is a network of coordinated after school programming for Metro’s middle-school students. NAZA is a partnership among the Nashville Public Library, MNPS, and other existing youth-serving groups. It is modeled on successful efforts in other cities and is organized around geographically-defined zones.
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