Dallas CASA’s Champion of Children Award Dinner
(Featured photo: Richard Davis, Janice Davis, Nicki Stafford, Paul Stafford, event co-chair.)
Dallas CASA’s Champion of Children Award Dinner celebrated the Dallas Mavericks for their impactful work in the community. Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont and CEO Cynt Marshall accepted the Jan and Judge Barefoot Sanders Champion of Children Award to enthusiastic applause from fans just days before the season opener.
The evening featured Sixto Cancel, founder of Think of Us, who shared his personal foster care journey and the importance of family connections for foster youth. Hosted by event co-chairs Janice and Richard Davis and Nicki and Paul Stafford, with Bob Mong as honorary chair, the night brought together Dallas CASA supporters, judges, and board members, all inspired by the Mavericks’ commitment to bettering Dallas.
Dallas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) seeks to protect children, restore childhood and help child victims of abuse or neglect achieve their full potential. The agency’s trained and supervised community volunteers are assigned by judges to advocate for the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect and are living in the protective care of the state. For many children in foster care, their Dallas CASA volunteer is the only consistent, caring adult in their lives during a frightening, uncertain time. Dallas CASA envisions a day when all children experience safe childhoods and grow into resourceful, healthy adults. Now in its 44th year, Dallas CASA serves more children than any of the more than 900 CASA programs nationwide. In 2023, 1,088 Dallas CASA volunteers were assigned to advocate for 2,151 children in protective care. For the past five years, the agency has been able to provide an advocate for every Dallas child in need, but each year more advocates are needed. To learn more, visit dallascasa.org.
Photos by Kristina Bowman Photography
(This Philanthropy Lifestyles Scene courtesy DALLAS CASA.)
