According to Incarnation House CEO Evelyn Costolo,
It was to be a night to remember! Event Co-Chairs Alison and Mike Malone and Jamie and Ian Charles along with Honorary Co-Chairs the Claire and Dwight Emanuelson Family planned an exciting evening – Casino for a Cause – benefiting Incarnation House. The March 27th event was to be sold out with 330 guests planning to dance, eat and gamble the night away in support of the at-risk and homeless teens of Dallas. Unfortunately, the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Casino for a Cause was to provide critical funding for the programs of Incarnation House dedicated to the teens of North Dallas High School (NDHS). At NDHS, 92% of the students live under the poverty line and are considered house-insecure. Incarnation House offers a safe place for these teenagers to come after school, build relationships with caring adults and peers, and have access to essential services. We provide healthy after-school snacks and a family-style dinner Monday through Thursday. We offer counseling, medical care, life skills, character building, social/emotional learning, educational and vocational support, as well as enrichment activities. Our goal is to end generational poverty.
Until DISD opens again for classes, we have modified the after-school program to meet the basic, emotional, and emergency needs of our students and their families. We are delivering weekly boxes of food, providing emergency assistance such as transportation, tutors and computer lab hours to complete school work, and helping with stress management during this uncertain time.
We are grateful to the many donors who purchased tickets/tables to Casino for a Cause, but without the event we were unable to reach our goal. We are reaching out to the community for continued support. “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.”– Booker T. Washington
* Photo provided by Incarnation House