DAVE CLAYTON At first glance it would seem that Dave Clayton, a grandfatherly appearing retired contractor, and Tyson Wellcome, a young pastor sporting dreadlocks and two diamonds piercing his right eyebrow, have nothing in common.

Yet these two Mariposa men are both CASA volunteers and have spent the last two years focused on the well-being of a certain young man who was headed in the wrong direction. Through their combined efforts, they have watched Shane Meloy reverse his life toward a brighter future. (Because Meloy is no longer a minor, and he is proud of the strides he has made, use of this former foster youth’s full name was granted.)

Wellcome was serving as the youth pastor at New Life Christian Fellowship in Bootjack when he first met Meloy. “His foster parent at the time, Paul Lockwood, brought him there on a pretty regular basis,” Wellcome said. “But he was in and out of trouble and bouncing around. His whole mentality was ‘I’m prison-bound.’ He seemed convinced he was doomed.” Wellcome said he felt better about the boy when he learned a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer had been appointed to mentor him.

Mariposa County CASA Executive Director Janet Kottman assigned newly trained Clayton, the program’s first male volunteer, to serve as Meloy’s special advocate. “He was my first CASA kid,” Clayton said. “and it was hard to communicate with him. He always had a hood over his head and wore outrageous pants—like those of a court jester. He didn’t want to communicate, and he did not want to be in school. Yet the first thing I noticed about him was his intelligence.”

During that time Meloy was in enough trouble that he “advanced” from foster care to probation and eventually was sent to juvenile boot camp. Judge Dana Walton asked Clayton to continue as Meloy’s CASA while the boy was in camp, which Clayton agreed to do.

When he first met Meloy, Clayton told the young man. “You can fire me any time, but I won’t quit you.” Meloy did, in fact, fire Clayton at one point, but later said he was “sorry” and wanted to “re-hire” him.

“That apology may seem like a little thing to some people, but for this young man who has been through so much, it was huge and courageous,” Kottman said.

Clayton added, “I think he had come to the realization that everything we do is for him, and we don’t get paid.”

Clayton got involved with CASA two years ago when a friend called and told him “you’re going to be a CASA.” “I didn’t know what he was talking about,” Clayton said,

“I thought CASA was a house in Mexico.” Once he began mentoring Meloy, he met Wellcome who was also looking out for Meloy’s welfare.

“Here’s a guy who looks so unlike a youth pastor—an exmarine with dreadlocks,” Clayton said, referencing Wellcome, “but when I learned how much he loved kids, I said I’ve got to get this guy involved.” Thus Wellcome was recruited and trained as a CASA volunteer, and the two men shared in the mentoring of Meloy.

According to Clayton and Wellcome, the turnaround for Meloy came when he was back from boot camp. Judge Walton helped the young man understand the consequences if he didn’t comply, including return to camp. Also, Wellcome and his wife, Iris, agreed to take him into their home and serve as parent figures. The Wellcomes, who have three young children of their own, had opened their home to other displaced youth in the past.

“As kids, my wife and her brothers were split up, with some of them going into foster care,” Wellcome said, “so she understands the need.” As for Meloy, Wellcome said he became one of the family. He started talking and willingly shared chores. He also worked at his studies and when it looked like he might actually graduate he tired even harder. “The idea really excited him,” Wellcome said.

Clayton agreed, saying, “It was so empowering for him to get a diploma.”

Now Meloy aspires to go on to community college and become a mechanic. The CASA program is thrilled with the change they’ve seen in Meloy during the past two years of the nonprofit’s involvement with him. In addition to their work to get him on the right track, they also give credit to the many people in the community who reached out to help, especially foster parent Lockwood who took in the rebellious young man during difficult times. “Paul did a lot for him,” Clayton said, “as did school personnel who kept trying to find a plan that worked for him in the independent education program.”

“When young people have at least one consistent, caring adult in their life, research shows that it greatly improves their chance for success in adult life,” Kottman said, “and Dave Clayton, Tyson Wellcome and others provided the caring and consistency that Shane desperately needed.”

Though no longer serving as youth pastor at New Life Christian Fellowship, Wellcome’s interest in young people continues to manifest itself in the Ethos Youth Center at the Pioneer Village located at the junction of Highways 49 and 140. He calls it a “preventionbased, grassroots attempt to meet the needs of the youth in the community.” In addition, he is proud of his CASA connection and says he “appreciates a program that helps prevent kids from falling through the cracks of the system.”

Clayton continues to keep in touch with Meloy, even though the young man is now over 18 and has aged-out of foster care. In the meantime, Clayton looks forward to his next experience helping kids. “I was just assigned a family of three children,” he said. He emphasized that CASA mentors are volunteers. “We care about children and if we can make a difference in their lives, we do it.”

Meloy is an excellent example of just that. Although he has suffered setbacks in his progress toward a different way of life, he is taking ownership of the choices he makes. According to Wellcome, “Meloy is much better off than he was a few years ago. He’s positive about his life and future.”

Kottman concurs. “Being positive and having others place their faith in us is really the best that any of us can hope for.”

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Mariposa County was established in 2004 to serve the needs of Mariposa County children who, for their own protection, have been removed from their homes and placed in foster care.

Anyone who is interested in volunteering can contact the CASA office at 742-4206. Donations can be sent to: CASA of Mariposa County, P.O. Box 73, Mariposa, CA 95338.