Carol Aastad of Willow Valley Retirement Communities is an outstanding example of someone who has unleashed the power of aging.

After working in the promotional advertising business for nearly 30 years, Carol Aastad retired to Willow Valley Retirement Communities in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Carol could have used her retirement to do many things, but her passion for helping people lead her on a path of volunteerism.

“I was retired and looking for something meaningful and fulfilling to do. I had some free time and wanted that time to be well spent,” says Carol, who is 71.

Shortly after arriving in Lancaster, Carol got involved with two organizations in 2009: CASA of Lancaster County (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and Milagro House, which provides housing, education and counseling for homeless mothers and their children. She is now the President of the Board of Milagro House and the Volunteer Committee chair.

In fact, she was recognized by both organizations as Volunteer of the Year for 2011.

As a CASA advocate, Carol works with children who have been removed from abusive or neglectful homes and placed into foster care and represents their interests in court.

“The first goal with CASA is always to reunify the children with their biological parents. If it is not possible, we terminate parental rights, and then the child can be adopted,” says Carol. When children are adopted, they can begin to be part of a stable, nurturing environment, she says. “The most important thing is that there is no revolving door,” she adds.

In 1980, Carol helped write and lobby legislation in Wilmington, Delaware that created a state foster-care review board. Later, that board became a CASA program.

“It was our discovery in Delaware that children often moved from foster home to foster home, with no stability, and grew up with low self-esteem. Many had problems as adults, and were not contributing to society as they would have if they had had a permanent setting,” she says.

Carol’s experiences in Delaware and with the CASA program make her a valuable volunteer for the Milagro House in Lancaster.

“The most important aspect of our program is we provide education to our women during their time in the program, because the educational component is what helps end the poverty or homelessness,” says Carol.

“You feel like you are making a difference in the lives of children and women. If we can break that cycle of abuse and neglect, homelessness and poverty, that will make such a difference for the future,” she says.