By Jami Lambert
Online Editor
Playing on a sandy beach is not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Throw in exciting prizes, close friends, and an In-N-Out truck and the day couldn’t get much better. And when you do it all for a good cause, you not only get a great afternoon, you get Sand CASA 2003.
Several Greek organizations and local businesses banded together at Westward Beach Sunday to help Kappa Alpha Theta raise nearly $2,500 for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), the Theta national philanthropy.
Sand CASA, as the event is called, featured competitions among 12 teams battling for prizes donated by local merchants. Teams were judged in several categories, including a relay race, volleyball tournament, sandcastle-building contest, and raffle ticket and t-shirt sales. After all the points were tallied, Beta Theta Pi took first place with Sigma Nu finishing a very close second.
Teams all paid an entry fee to participate in the day’s activities. Every Greek organization on campus, including sorority recruitment counselors, entered a team. Senior Holly Podias, Theta’s vice president of public relations, was happy to see support from other Greek groups.
“That’s the only way to succeed,” Podias said. “We really appreciate it because without that support we wouldn’t have an event.”
In previous years, Sand CASA scarcely made enough money to cover their costs, but with some re-organization this year, the event raised $2,496.
“We decided to change things up a little bit from how it has been done in the past,” Podias said.
Sophomore Sigma Phi Epsilon member Kirk Henderson noticed the change. “Everything seemed to run smoothly this time,” he said. “This year everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun.”
Many local businesses also helped make the event a success. In-n-Out donated food for the occasion and others like Howdy’s, Malibu Beach Inn and Malibu Yogurt donated raffle prizes.
Junior recruitment counselor Candace Robins had fun even though she didn’t win anything. “It was really fun and organized and the Theta’s did a great job putting it on,” she said.
Theta chapters nationwide have been supporting CASA since 1989 and have contributed more than $769,000 to date.
CASA is a nonprofit organization consisting of volunteers who are trained and appointed by a judge to speak up for abused and neglected children in court. A Seattle judge founded the program because he was troubled about making decisions concerning abused and neglected children’s lives without sufficient information. The program was so successful in Seattle that judges across the country began utilizing citizen advocates. In 1990, Congress passed the Victims of Child Abuse Act that encouraged the expansion of CASA to its current 900 programs and 70,000 volunteers.
All the money raised at Sand CASA contributes to CASA’s public awareness efforts, including educational materials, videos, and publications.
Junior Megan Small, Theta philanthropy chair, began planning the event last May and was pleased with the results.
“Through all the hard work, it was great to see everyone out there donating time and money for a great cause,” Small said.
Sophomore Gamma Phi Beta member Robyn Worden agrees. “Building sandcastles is a lot of fun, and it’s a very creative way to get all the sororities and fraternities together to raise money,” she said.
September 18, 2003