Dana Strader (Friends of CASA President, Holly Joseph & Colleen Masterson (Luncheon Chairs),David Ambroz (Keynote Speaker) and Regan Dean Phillips (CASA OC CEO)
Contact:
Matthew Wadlinger, Chief Strategy Officer
FRIENDS OF CASA SET RECORD-BREAKING NET OF
$640k+ AT ANNUAL HOLIDAY LUNCHEON
Santa Ana, Calif. (December 07, 2023) – Friends of CASA, a membership auxiliary of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Orange County, hosted its annual Holiday Luncheon on Friday, December 1st, at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. The Luncheon that began as a Holiday Tea 28 years ago has brought in over $6.6 million dollars since 1995. This year’s Luncheon had a record breaking net for the tenth year in a row – with over $640k that will go directly to supporting CASA’s mission of providing a powerful voice and a meaningful connection for children who have experienced abuse, neglect and abandonment.
The Luncheon was chaired by Holly Joseph and Colleen Masterson, who were assisted by a volunteer committee of 70 members from the Friends of CASA (FOCASA) auxiliary group, which is led by FOCASA President, Dana Strader. 488 guests arrived to a beautiful reception with tray passed champagne and 161 auction packages elegantly displayed. Guests were able to fulfill a wish for a child in foster care through purchasing ornaments placed on the Barclay Butera Interiors sponsored “Starfish Wish Trees”. Ornaments, designed by local artist Timree Gold, featured diverse wishes from 282 children served by CASA. Starfish Wishes included items like a new bicycle, jiu-jitsu lessons, Barbie dolls, and day trips to Disneyland, Adventure City, and the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.
The reception area and ballroom were exquisitely decorated by Elite OC Productions and Paul Fenner Florals. This year’s captivating fashion presentation was presented by world renowned fashion house, Givenchy, and South Coast Plaza - and meticulously produced by Shannon Davidson Productions. The show provided a preview of Givenchy’s Spring 2024 line, featuring exquisite garments, shoes, accessories and menswear. Following the event program, Givenchy showcased a Pop-Up Shop featuring beautiful leather goods, shoes and handbags with 10% of sales going back to CASA. Additionally, all CASA supporters who shop at the South Coast Plaza Givenchy store can direct 10% of the sale back to the nonprofit through the end of the year.
This year’s keynote speaker was national poverty and child welfare expert and advocate, David Ambroz, who recently published a memoir entitled A Place Called Home that was gifted to all guests of the Luncheon, courtesy of Entertainment Sponsor Dana & Patrick Strader. David currently serves as the Head of Community Engagement (West) for Amazon. After a childhood spent homeless and in foster care, he graduated from Vassar College and later from UCLA School of Law (J.D.). He is a foster parent and lives in Los Angeles.
David gave a passionate and moving speech to the audience sharing, “I was 12 years old when I entered foster care, having survived starvation and near-death at the hands of my mother. I thought I was saved, but in foster care I discovered hell has a basement. The violence and casual cruelty I experienced are hard to fathom. My first placement was a congregate care placement that I think of as a kiddie jail. It was for young people that could not be placed in homes because they were violent, too troublesome, or in my case, because I was gay. Immediately, the violence began as I sought to simply survive.”
Closing his speech, David shared “Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Ella Fitzgerald, John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, Eddie Murphy, Tina Turner, James Dean, CoCo Chanel, Andrew Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe, Jonathan Swift, Francois Truffaut, Eleanor Roosevelt, Larry Ellis…these are the names of foster youth alum. Our potential is unlimited. We need to collectively make the decision that we are not going to pass poverty and violence onto another generation of the state’s children.”
The Harry Bronson and Edith Knapp Foundation provided a $35,000 matching gift to all donations made to CASA following the keynote.
The opportunity drawing was provided by Exclusive Jewelry Partner, Lugano Diamonds, who generously donated a Floating Rose Cut Diamond Chain with nearly seven carats of exquisite rose-cut diamonds, glistening from every angle and valued at $25,000. CASA supporter, Andrea Stewart, of the Harry Bronson and Edith Knapp Foundation, was the lucky winner.
The Ruby Starfish Sponsor was The Jacqueline Glass Family. Official Jewelry Sponsor was Lugano Diamonds. Floral Sponsor was Hyundai Capital America. Mobile Bidding Sponsor was Commercial Bank of California. Special recognition was given to CASA supporters who took the opportunity to become a CASA Starlight sponsor, which funds a gift of advocacy to four youth in foster care for a full year through a $12,000 donation. 2023 CASA Starlights included Ali Bartholomew, The Watson Family Foundation, Moreno Family Foundation, Lucy Donahue and The Anthony and Carie Ferry Foundation.
Friends of CASA is committed to raising funds for CASA of Orange County’s mentor-advocate program for abused and neglected children in the foster care system. Through the annual Holiday Luncheon, Friends of CASA raises awareness, and recruits volunteers and long-term donors to CASA. This year’s Executive Committee of the Holiday Luncheon was comprised by the following Friends of CASA members: Zelma Banuelos, Liz Batterton, Giselle Deese, Liz deSousa, Danette Dye, Jennifer Gonzales Oxen, Jennifer Hanlon, Rae Harker, Annette Hellmich, Nicole Inal Hutchinson, Patty Juarez, Deborah Keillor, Sandi Kirby, Leezette Lopatic, Inga Marcereau, Kimberly Matties, Sarah Minakary, Marjie Mros, Regina Oswald, Joanna Smith, Stefanie Stamires, Dana Strader, Sara Van Dusen, Briana Verham, Janine Wald and Trisha Yount.
About Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1985, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Orange County (CASA OC) provides a powerful voice and a meaningful connection for children who have experienced abuse, neglect and abandonment. CASA volunteers provide critical support and important advocacy that focuses on the child's safety, the efficiency of placement in permanent homes, their educational needs and the child’s overall health and wellbeing.A CASA volunteer is often the only consistent adult in a child or youth’s life who is not paid to support and advocate for them. The CEO of CASA OC since 2017 is Regan Dean Phillips, Esq., MSW. Chair of the Board of Directors is Michael Wong, CEO & President of Genea. CASA is a private, nonprofit organization supported by individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies. It is a member of the National CASA/GAL Association for Children. Please visit casaoc.org to learn more.