By Roseanne Lewis
The ice that hit Dallas melted just in time for Dallas CASA Young Professionals’ CASAblanca party to get hot Saturday night. The event was a fundraiser for the children served by Dallas CASA, who have experienced abuse or neglect and been placed in the protective care of the state. Dallas CASA’s trained volunteers advocate for these children in court.
The Roaring ’20s-themed event was chaired by Mindy Busch, Elena Littleton and Sonya Reddy. Elena and her husband Zach are sworn advocates for Dallas CASA.
“For me, the event is such a great way to share about the wonderful things CASA does with young professionals who might not have heard about CASA,” said Littleton, who is VP of sales for Ad Pages. “There’s so many more ways to get involved than being an advocate, and people love hearing about the good things CASA is doing in the community.”
Dallas CASA Board members in attendance included Jonathan Bassham, Greg May, Nicki Stafford, Megan Sterquell and Linda Swartz. The Young Professionals is an auxiliary group of Dallas CASA, which seeks to support the mission of Dallas CASA.
The Special Edition Band provided entertainment for the evening. Honey walnut shrimp, spicy chili chicken, Vietnamese spring rolls, parmesan mini meatballs, mini Caprese skewers and a fried rice station fed the crowd. The evening ended with a take-home honey butter chicken biscuit.
Special fundraisers for the evening included a champagne bar selling glasses of Vueve Clicquot and a silent auction featuring a lake house weekend, original art, beauty and fitness donations, a gift certificate with Ride Alto, restaurant gift cards, golf outings and many others items geared toward the under-40 crowd.
Presenting sponsor for the event was The Parvin Group. Royal Flush sponsors were Christine and Jonathan Bassham and CultureMap. Straight Flush sponsors were Accelerate, Ad Pages Solutions, Sidley Austin, Elite Casino Events, Quilling, Delander, Lownds, Winslett & Moser, P.C., R&B Roofing and Newton Thomas.
Full House sponsors included Debby and Hugh Comer, The Dimension Group, Ashley and John Forbes, Hannah and Greg May, Milbern Ray & Company, Retta A. Miller, Linda and Rob Swartz and Whiskey Pearl. Other sponsors included Lone Star Cadillac, Megan and Tom Sterquell, Mai Plumbing Company and Vitalife Wellness.