Critical support helps with expansion

By Rosanne Lewis

Dallas CASA will honor Goldman Sachs with the Jan and Judge Barefoot Sanders Champion of Children Award for its commitment to bettering the lives of Dallas children. The award will be presented at the Champion of Children Award Dinner on October 9 at The Fairmont Dallas. All funds raised at the event benefit the child victims of abuse and neglect served by the agency’s volunteers. Goldman Sachs has been a longtime supporter of Dallas CASA. 

In 1998, the Archon Group, which would later be acquired by Goldman Sachs, founded the Dallas CASA Classic golf tournament. Since then, the tournament has raised nearly $28.1 million for Dallas CASA, transforming the agency’s capacity to serve children in need. Goldman Sachs also supports other campaigns at Dallas CASA, including an annual donation of holiday gifts for over 400 children, which are delivered each December by a U-Haul truck.

“As Goldman Sachs grows its footprint in the Dallas area, Dallas CASA could not be prouder to have the company as partners and cheerleaders as we seek to make Dallas the safe and enriching place it should be for all children,” said Dallas CASA CEO Kathleen LaValle. “Goldman shares a vision of Dallas as a vibrant city for children, families, professionals and everyone.”

With critical financial and board support from Goldman, Dallas CASA was able to embark on a plan for the expansion of services for children. Today, Dallas CASA is proud to be the largest of more than 900 CASA programs in the nation, serving more children in need than any other program.

Dallas CASA trains and supervises community volunteers who advocate for children living in the protective care of the state. Volunteers seek to protect children and restore childhood by working with everyone in a child’s life, including families, caseworkers, doctors, attorneys, therapists, teachers and more. Volunteers are appointed to cases by judges and stay for the duration of the case, often serving as the only consistent adult for children in a tumultuous system.

The guest speaker will be Steve Pemberton, bestselling author, managing director at Seramount and host of the Pemberton Podcast. A visionary leader and lifelong advocate for human dignity, Pemberton will share his inspiring belief in the power of ordinary people doing remarkable things. 

Pemberton’s first book, “A Chance in the World,” laid bare a stark childhood spent in foster care. Thanks to small acts of kindness and people who cared, Pemberton left foster care, graduated from Boston College and became a husband, father, corporate executive and motivational speaker. 

His second book, “The Lighthouse Effect,” encourages readers to be “human lighthouses,” inspiring those around them toward connection, hope and renewed trust instead of disillusionment and defeat.

Pemberton’s professional life, with pivotal roles at Monster.com, Walgreens and Workhuman among others, has focused on reshaping organizations and how they view their human capital. His journey has been marked by resilience, faith and an unwavering belief in what is possible, and he seeks to ensure that every person, no matter their beginnings, has a chance.

The Champion of Children Award is named in honor of Judge Barefoot Sanders, a revered United States District Court judge for the Northern District of Texas, past award recipient and steadfast supporter of Dallas CASA, and his wife Jan, a longtime Dallas CASA volunteer. 

The award is given annually to recognize community leaders who significantly improve the lives of youth in our community, particularly those whose lives have been marked by abuse, neglect or other adversity.