Three Reasons You Should Support CASA TONIGHT!
By, Brittany Baig
You can still purchase tickets online here, you can also email Daisy at dsilvestre@casacentex.org, or you can purchase your tickets at the door.
Bill Withers said it best we all need somebody to lean on, and tonight, April 10th, CASA is leaning on the community to help take CASA to the next level and secure a solid foundation for the future.
CASA has been serving Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe and Hays Counties for 30 years by providing trained community volunteers to speak up for abused and neglected children in the area. In 2014 alone, CASA of Central Texas served 421 children with 220 volunteers. The number of children in need are projected to increase with the rise in San Marcos’ population, and CASA of Central Texas has been trying to meet these growing demands by raising money to build and establish a permanent home for the organization.
“San Marcos is the fastest growing city in the U.S. and as the population increases so does the number of children who are being abused. We need this new facility to train and support more advocates for the community’s children.” says CASA Board President Jo Anne Germer.
To help raise the necessary funds CASA is inviting the community to come out and celebrate the organizations 30th anniversary tonight at an Island Keys-themed evening at the Wurstfest-Stelzenhaus building in New Braunfels starting at 6:30 pm. Here are three reasons you should spend this evening supporting CASA.
3. Your evening will be filled with fun, games, and yummy food.
Friday night for so many of us involves going out to dinner then maybe heading out to the local movie theater to watch the latest Hollywood flick. Since you are going to be going out anyway why not do so in the name of charity? Not only will a ticket get you dinner it will also provide a great source of entertainment via live music from Texas Tides, silent and live auctions, interactive games with prizes, including his and hers Tag Heuer watches, an Americus Diamond necklace and James Avery jewelry. Auctions will include a registered chocolate male Labrador puppy, a trip to Key West, a Buddy 50 Scooter, scuba diving lessons, Whataburger for a year, and some really good wine. Tickets are on sale for $75 dollars.
2. You can see where your money goes.
There are so many charities out there, and sometimes when we donate money we don’t get to see what our money is going towards, and that on occasion can discourage some of us from donating. This is not the case with CASA of Central Texas.
Yes, CASA is a national organization, but your money would be directly going to CASA of Central Texas. CASA’s current home is a 1646 square foot donated space that includes five offices, CASA has eight fulltime staff members, and a multipurpose room that triples as a training room for advocates, storage, and a kitchen. The new 6,000 square foot building CASA is raising money for would provide a 48-seat Training Center and 15 staff offices. According to the Development Director of CASA, Tricia Schneider, this increase in space is not just about having more room for furniture and staff.
“Last year there were 214 children in protective custody and CASA was able to provide a trained advocate to 154 of them. When we open this new facility we are striving to provide a trained advocate for all of these kids, and more space will definitely help us to reach that goal.”
So, next year, at their goal end date, when you are driving by the new center, you see where your money went to. It will be found in every brick of that building, a seat where a new volunteer sits, or where a child might be feeling cared for.
1. You will be supporting a great cause.
There is no better cause to support than a cause that works to help children in the community. These kids are often scared and feel alone, but the child advocates of CASA work hard to help.
“Being in foster care for seven years, I had one person that was there for the entire time. My CASA worker was the only consistent support figure I had. Foster care was hard enough but she made it a little easier.” Says Jess, a former foster youth.
Tonight is not the only time or way you can help CASA of Central Texas. Become a child advocate for one of these kids. The number of children who need CASA’s help is continuing to rise and CASA needs volunteers to help cope with these demands. According to CASA’s website “CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to help ensure that every child in foster care is moved to a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible. Because CASA volunteers serve on one case at a time, they truly get to know an individual child or sibling group. They provide sustained, personal attention to every child – just as every child deserves.”
You can still purchase tickets online here, you can also email Daisy at dsilvester@casacentex.org, or you can purchase your tickets at the door.