Tailgate with Team CASA

CASA of Central Texas thanks everyone who had a part in making this year’s annual fundraiser, Tailgate with Team CASA, a success. From sponsors, to event coordinators and volunteers, to raffle and auction item donors, and guests of the event, all have all shown they want to be a part of ending child abuse and neglect in Central Texas.

Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, serves abused and neglected children in the court system by recruiting, training and supporting community volunteers to advocate for those children while they navigate the foster-care system.

In 2022, CASA of Central Texas volunteers served 562 children in the Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe and Hays Counties, but there were more than 309 children who did not have the voice of a CASA in the program’s four-county service area. Proceeds from this year’s event will be used to train and support more volunteers to help reach the goal of providing a CASA volunteer to every child in state care.

The Chandelier of Gruene hosted the program’s largest annual fundraising and awareness event on April 28, wrapping up national Child Abuse Prevention Month. Long-time CASA supporter and former State Representative Patrick Rose emceed the evening and called for action.

“Our four-county CASA program is going to do as much as it needs to do, based on how well we do to support that work. It’s that simple,” Rose said.

The event served as a time to honor some of the program’s biggest community cheerleaders; Comal County Sheriff Mark Reynolds, Hays County Precinct 3 Commissioner Lon Shell, GVTC Foundation President Sonia Aguillon and Brookfield Residential represented by Regional President Brad Chelton.

“The children really need our help,” Aguillon said. “With our efforts we can help these children have an advocate, have an adult, have somebody to speak for them to really change their lives…No child should have to go without a voice.”

The evening also featured former foster-youth turned foster-adoptive parent, Kevin Bueker, who shared openly about his experiences with the Texas foster-care system, and how he has seen firsthand, the impact CASA volunteers make.

“We had the best advocates assigned to our kids. They have been exemplary role models not just for my children but for my wife and I as well. They made sure to show up every time they were called upon. That’s a common theme that you hear tonight. We need people who will show up when called upon,” Bueker said. “Representing our kids in court, coming to celebrate all the milestones, the birthdays, all the victories along the way, they showed up every single time when so many people would choose not to. To us, they are heroes.”