It was just a year ago that the Dallas CASA crew was preparing for its 40th anniversary of providing advocates for children in the protective care of the state. There were all types of ideas being investigated on how to make it a memory-maker of a year with in-person activities. Then all those plans tumbled when COVID-19 arrived this spring.
But Dallas CASA President/CEO Kathleen LaValle and her team weren’t going to let the coronavirus cloud their big year. Working with NorthPark Center, they managed to have an adjusted Parade of Playhouses this summer.

Now they’ve magically transformed their annual Champion of Children Award Dinner into Dallas CASA 40th Anniversary Celebration for Sunday, November 15. Yes, it’s a virtual event from 6 to 7 p.m., but it’s going to be fun and fascinating. SyFy’s Wizard Wars’ magician Justin Flom will surprise, delight and mystify guest by “performing magic with ordinary objects.” If you’re not already a SyFy fan, Justin most recently received rave reviews for his performance at the annual Dallas Mavericks Foundation 2020 Mavs Ball.

And it’s no surprise that he’s got that magic touch. He was born into a family of magicians in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Event sponsors and guests who purchase individual tickets by Thursday, October 15, will receive a deck of playing cards via mail “that will be incorporated into the entertainment.”
In addition to a performance by Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Young Strings, another highlight of the evening will be Dallas CASA Classic Golf Tournament’s co-chair corporations (Goldman Sachs, Pioneer Natural Resources and AT&T) receiving the Judge Barefoot Sanders Champion of Children Award.
Thanks to the 20-year-old tournament, $20.6M has been raised for Dallas CASA. And this amount has been vital for Dallas CASA’s mission. In 1998 the organization helped 407 children; in 2019 that number was 3,644.
Another vital ingredient to Dallas CASA’s success has been the dedication and growth of its volunteers, who “complete 30 hours of training plus courtroom observations before being appointed by the court to advocate for the best interests of children who’ve experience abuse or neglect.”

According to Kathleen, “Dallas CASA would not be what it is today without these three companies and so many others in our community who have supported us in many ways during the past 40 years. Dallas is known as a generous and community-minded city, and Dallas CASA feels that spirit every day. Our volunteers, donors and supporters have been there for us year after year, and have shown the children we serve that they care. We’re able to tell child victims of abuse and neglect that we see them, we hear them and we want the best possible outcomes for their futures.”
Tickets are available here. Pioneer Natural Resources has already locked down the 40th Anniversary Champion sponsorship.
* Graphic/photo provided by Dallas CASA