MEDIA ADVISORY

Contact: Susan Kirkland 714/619-0641
Lynda Sloan 714/619-5155

CASA of Orange County to Honor Outstanding Supporters at 25th Anniversary “Celebration of Children”

Irvine 2010 – Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Orange County, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of abused children, will honor some of its leading supporters and volunteers at its 25th Anniversary “Celebration of Children”. The gala, celebrating service to abused children in Orange County, will be held at the Irvine Marriott Hotel on Saturday, May 22, 2010.

CASA began with 15 volunteers in 1985 and now has over 700 volunteers serving abused and neglected children as mentors and advocates. CASA is a powerful model for breaking the vicious cycle of child abuse by speaking up for these children who are lost in the overburdened foster care system. It has been voted “Best Place to Volunteer” in Orange County.

Fred Port will receive one of CASA’s highest awards, “Children’s Champion” for 25 years of support and personal dedication to the agency. Nancy Green will be honored as “Advocate of the Year” for her passion and commitment to children and Michelle Culbertson will receive the “Outstanding Youth” award. Additionally, South Coast Plaza will be recognized as the “Corporate Honoree” for the generous support of the Segerstrom family for two decades.

Guests of this year’s gala will enjoy a hosted cocktail reception, elegant meal and dancing to Haute Chile. Highlights of the evening will be the “Ultimate Travel Auction” and the “Ultimate Golf Wall” featuring exclusive travel and golf destinations. Over 85% of every dollar contributed to the event directly benefits CASA’s programs.

Located in the City of Santa Ana, CASA of Orange County is one of over 900 programs through out the nation that work with the most difficult abuse cases in the child welfare system. CASA recruits, trains and supervises community volunteers to serve as advocates and mentors for hundreds of abused and neglected children referred to CASA each year by the Orange County Juvenile Dependency Court. Advocates form one-on-one relationships with the children and often are the only consistent adult influence for children who may change foster care placements several times in a year, some may never return home again.

CASA relies on individual and corporate donations to continue its life-changing work. Tickets for the event are available for $275 per person. For more information on “Celebration of Children” call Susan Kirkland at (714)619-0641.

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