Partners’ support crucial to mission

By Roseanne Lewis

AT&T, Goldman Sachs, Pioneer Natural Resources and, for the first time, Dallas CASA’s Young Professionals group united on Monday, Oct. 25 to host the Dallas CASA Classic, a charity golf tournament that raised $1.5 million for Dallas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the children served by the agency.

The four groups, which drew nearly 600 golfers from across the country, played at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas and Cowboys Golf Club. The tournament is the largest single-day, non-PGA sponsored golf tournament in the nation and was founded in 1998. Now in its 24th year, the tournament has raised more than $22.1 million.

All funds raised support the child victims of abuse and neglect served by Dallas CASA, which provides trained community volunteers to advocate for children in child welfare court cases. In 2020, Dallas CASA had 1,527 volunteers assigned to serve 3,374 children.

“The transformational impact this golf tournament has had on our agency simply cannot be overstated,” said Kathleen M. LaValle, Dallas CASA’s president and CEO. “Today, Dallas CASA is able to accept court appointments to serve every child who needs an advocate and we serve more children with volunteer advocates than any of the other 900 plus CASA organizations nationwide. Scaling up to and sustaining that program capacity would not have been possible without the Dallas CASA Classic. Because of this tournament, more children will grow up in safe, loving homes where they can thrive and reach their full potentials.”

The tournament was founded by Archon/Goldman Sachs. Pioneer Natural Resources joined in 2012 followed a year later by AT&T, which significantly expanded the tournament’s impact on Dallas CASA. When the tournament began, Dallas CASA was serving 407 children. 

Today, the agency serves more than 3,300 children annually.

“AT&T is proud of our role in this golf tournament,” said Dallas CASA Board Chair and AT&T Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Development Officer Corey Anthony, who also serves as a Dallas CASA volunteer advocate. “I’ve seen firsthand what having an advocate can mean for children navigating an overwhelmed child welfare system. Children don’t forget the people who show up in their lives.”

“The golf tournament means that we can have an impact on the community where we work and live, and be invested in the lives and futures of vulnerable children,” said Chance Monroe, managing director of Goldman Sachs and a Dallas CASA board member. 

“Pioneer’s partnership with Dallas CASA began more than 14 years ago and is one of the pillars of our corporate giving strategy,” said Pioneer Executive Vice President Mark S. Berg, who also serves on the Dallas CASA board of directors and is a former board chair. “Many of our employees support the organization by volunteering their time or contributing to CASA through our employee match program. Pioneer is proud to work together with other host corporations to support the tournament, providing financial support for CASA’s mission, which plays such a critical role in serving the children in protective care in Dallas County.” 

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