Court Appointed Special Advocates, CASA, hosts an annual fundraiser to raise money for children in foster care. Frenship High School students have been working on making playhouses to be raffled off in the fundraiser.
Tracy Pope, Construction Technology teacher at Frenship High School, says partnering with CASA hits close to home for him. “My wife and I used to have foster kids and worked with CASA for 15 years. I really understand the need for them to have support, so I make sure while building, the students understand what it’s for and why they are doing it,” said Pope.
Instilling the importance of servant leadership in students and working collaboratively on a project for the community is something Pope finds great joy in. “The students start the year off by designing a playhouse and understanding what it's for. When they get to the building stage it changes from what they can build verses to what they designed. Somehow at the end of the year we end up with a playhouse that looks really cool.”
When students from the Construction and Technology program graduate several continue to pursue construction. Pope believes that it is important for each student to have a tool belt with tools to be successful. Normally these tools would be bought with the workers' first paycheck, or by Pope for the students, but United wanted to prepare these graduating seniors to start their careers on solid ground by donating money to provide for this need.
Marketing and Development Director at CASA, Stacy Kelley, says that working with Frenship ISD is impactful for their non-profit. “It’s a combination of a lot of dreams, prayers, and hopes because we want to get the local community kids involved to support other children in the community who are in foster care,” said Kelley.
CASA feels grateful to have community support from Frenship ISD. “It’s amazing that we have high school students who care about their community and who are willing to donate their blood, sweat, and tears to this need. Last year Frenship did their first house and we’re really excited to have them with us again this year,” said Kelley.
Lauren White, Marketing and Events Manager at CASA, tells us that all the efforts made in this fundraiser deeply impact the kids in foster care. “People love participating in this, but also they are giving so much more than they even realize because they are allowing us to advocate for more children in foster care who have experienced abuse and neglect,” said White.
CASA says that there are several ways to get involved in the fundraiser. "The really cool thing about Casas for CASA is that it is a raffle, so anybody, whether their need is for a playhouse or not, can participate in this raffle. We have a storage building, a $3,500 gift card, a doghouse, and several playhouses. People can donate $5 per ticket and all the funds raised in this community stay in this community,” said White.
Pope expressed that working on this project with students is something he cherishes. “I really enjoy working with the kids and we stay in touch years after school. When you combine that with working with the CASA program it’s really something I enjoy doing. It’s a joy when you have all the students working together as a team for something bigger than themselves.”
The CASA fundraiser begins April 21 with ticket sales ending on May 30. Click here for more information on Casas for CASA.
Thank you for all your hard work, construction students!