By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
CASA of the High Plains has set a Neon Moon Sweetheart Country Prom for Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Hays.
The event will raise funds for the local Court Appointed Special Advocates program, which provides volunteers who give a voice to children in need of care in court.
The event's cocktail hour will start at 6 p.m., with a silent auction at 7 p.m. and a country-themed dance with a DJ at 8 p.m.
A cash bar will be offered. This is a 21-and-older event.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at casaofthehighplains.org.
Tickets are $50 each or $90 per couple. Sponsorship packages are available, all of which include drinks and some offer discounted rooms at the Hilton.
These packages can be found on the CASA website.
CASA is still accepting sponsorships for the event and donations for the silent auction. You can contact CASA at 785-628-8641 or email [email protected] for more information.
Traditionally, CASA had sponsored an annual Valentine's dinner fundraiser. However, the organization has not had that event for several years.
Jan Johnson, CASA director, said this event is a resurrection of the group's winter fundraiser.
Johnson said she imagines an '80s or '90s country theme, but she has friends coming in all sorts of attire, from boots and jeans to prom dresses.
CASA is a nonprofit organization and receives no federal funds. It receives two small state grants and a small annual grant from the county. The remainder of the organization's operating costs are funded through local donations.
CASA of the High Plains covers the four counties of the 23rd Judicial District: Gove, Trego, Rooks and Ellis counties, with the majority of cases originating from Ellis County.
Court Appointed Special Advocates serve as a voice for children in court. They are trained volunteers who meet with all of the parties involved when a child is in state custody.
After conducting an independent investigation, which includes building a relationship and speaking with the child, the advocate writes a report and submits a recommendation to the court regarding the child's custody.
"When you put it down in black and white and make a nice bullet point timeline, what has happened to this child since the case came into care, generally about the time they hit kindergarten ... especially if you can get a direct letter from the child about what their experience has been, it can really clear things up," Johnson said. "The CASA is the one who gets that done."
Johnson said some of the children who finally receive CASAs are teenagers and still in the system.
"Being a child, a teenager, is tough enough. It's a pretty rough time of life. Everything is happening to you. You aren't in charge of anything," Johnson said. "It truly does set the tone for the rest of your life. This is where and how changes get made."
In 2024, the latest year for which complete statistics are available, the 23rd Judicial District had 99 new child-in-need-of-care cases.
"Here all the time, 'Kids today, kids today.' But kids today are the direct result of adults today," she said. "There are so many people who are in positions to make a change for a kid, and they just don't.
"Something is holding them back from being the one to step up for a kid."
CASA's work was slowed during the pandemic.
However, CASA went from two cases two years ago to 26 cases during the last two years and 15 of those cases were resolved.
"Over and over on the cases we have closed, it was the CASA who made the difference in the case," Johnson said.
Johnson said the local CASA chapter has had a high rate of resolution for children, which she credited to the excellent volunteers working on those cases.
County attorneys, case workers and others will come and go, but the CASA is a consistent person in the child's life throughout the court case. The CASA maintains regular contact with the child even when the child is not in court, Johnson said.
The local CASA chapter is in need of more volunteers to work as advocate and in support roles, Johnson said.
The local CASA chapter has four advocates with three more in training.
You don't need any legal training to become a CASA. You have to submit to a background check and complete 35 to 40 hours of training.
When a volunteer first takes a case, they might volunteer 15 to 20 hours in a month. Later in the cases, volunteers may be needed for only three hours per month, Johnson said.
Volunteers can take breaks between cases.
Volunteers are also needed for the local CASA board and to serve on committees, which could include working on a single event.
The CASA board is planning another event in the spring based on Child Abuse Prevention Month.
You can donate to CASA at any time by visiting the CASA website or by mailing checks to 107 W. 13th, Hays, KS 67601.
"Your dollar given goes directly to serving these kids," Johnson said. "This organization is on a shoestring. There's not a lot of overhead here."