Getting To Know: CASO director has drive to help others
Trending
Jolene Haffner may be the executive director of Come Alongside Others (CASO) now, but she wasn't always. Matter of fact, she wasn't always a North Dakotan.
She was born in a small suburb south of Minneapolis. When she was in junior high she moved to Bismarck. Not too long after, her mother married a rancher who resided outside of Keene, and she went to Watford City High School. Spending those days on a ranch/farm outside of Keene, she said she absolutely loved it. When she was in high school, there were 40 kids in her graduating class, and she said her favorite classes were drama and choir.
After graduating from high school, Haffner went to Minot State University in 1995 to become a teacher. Attending Journey Church, she met her husband there. She was a teacher for 25 years before becoming the executive director of CASO, which stands for Come AlongSide Others. CASO is an organization that helps children impacted by neglect and assists families navigating the foster care system. Her work with CASO overlapped with her last five years as a teacher.
Haffner described her favorite memories growing up as “playing outside with friends” and “loves mowing the yard and still does.”
Haffner had a special drive for helping others growing up, and she still does. What makes her get out of bed in the morning, she said, is “My love for Jesus, and because my love language is acts of service. I like to help others.”
She mentioned she had a special mentor, Colene Ninneman, when she was younger who helped her get her where she is today. She met her at an Assemblies of God church in Watford City. Ninneman helped her make better decisions even though Haffner was allowed to make the decisions on her own.
Managing her work life and home life, as a nonprofit director, foster parent and wife, is a balancing act. Haffner said said it is about balancing which needs are more important than others. If the foster needs are immediate, those are taken care of, but for the most part, she said, boundaries are made and respected. These boundaries are family first and work second. She feels it is OK to say no, and OK to ask for help.
She also shared a time when she overcame something massive.
Haffner said she was a people pleaser at heart in the past and wanted to make sure everyone around her was happy. It didn’t take long for her to realize that couldn’t be done. To overcome this, Haffner said she just focuses on the ones she knows she can help. Another important aspect of this for her is that she does not beat herself up for not being able to help people she cannot.