MANCHESTER, NH – CASA of New Hampshire held its annual gala event CASA Cares: An Evening of Giving for New Hampshire’s Children on Friday, May 3, 2019, at Saint Anselm College’s Sullivan Arena. With 370 guests in attendance, this year’s event raised a record-setting $380,000 for the statewide nonprofit that provides courtroom advocacy for New Hampshire’s abused and neglected children.
“The generosity on display in the room at CASA Cares was remarkable,” CASA CEO and President Marcia Sink said. “Each year, the lives of more than 1,000 children in New Hampshire are directly impacted by hundreds of dedicated volunteers who serve as advocates for them. We simply could not do this work without the support we receive from donors and sponsors of an event like CASA Cares and throughout the year.”
In the four years since CASA Cares began, the event has raised more than $1.2 million to provide volunteer advocates to speak on behalf of the best interests of victimized children in New Hampshire.
“Think about it. We could be changing the lives of these kids and putting them into safer, healthier and loving environments where they could grow into anyone,” said presenting sponsor Sandra Cleary, CEO of SLC Group Holdings, during her remarks at the event. “We could be helping the next Picasso, Einstein, Beethoven, Spielberg, Gates, Zuckerberg, Chanel, my favorite. Who knows?”
In 2018, CASA volunteer advocates served, 1,488 children from 925 New Hampshire families, but still more than 200 children did not benefit from the dedicated advocacy CASA volunteers are able to provide. CASA’s goal is to be able to serve 100 percent of the children in need.
“Every child deserves a place to call home and a loving family to raise them,” Cleary said to the room just before the evening’s fund-the-need appeal that raised $156,000 in a matter of minutes. “Your donation today will help CASA reach more of New Hampshire’s victimized children through your generosity, and let’s hope that we can help every child in this coming year.”
CASA Cares is CASA of New Hampshire’s largest annual fundraiser. It included a plated dinner, live auction, wine and spirits grab and comedy show to close the night with stand-up comedian Kelly MacFarland. More than $100,000 of the evening’s fundraising was through sponsorships provided by businesses around the state.
For 30 years, CASA of New Hampshire has strived to protect the rights of our state’s most vulnerable children to live, learn and grow in the embrace of a loving family. For more information visit www.casanh.org.