CASA’s Sold-Out Event Nets More Than $800,000 to Benefit Area Children
A crowd of 800, including many of the area’s most influential people, gathered at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach May 19 for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) annual Celebration of Children Black & White Ball. The funds raised assist the nonprofit organization to train volunteers who serve as powerful advocates for the community’s most severely abused and neglected children. The evening began with a pre-dinner reception, Champagne, an open bar and preview of the live auction items. In the black, white and red-themed ballroom, guests enjoyed live entertainment, dinner, dancing and a moving keynote speech by Laura Schroff, author of “An Invisible Thread”—the story of how she became a friend and mentor to one hungry and neglected boy on the streets of New York. Elizabeth An, restaurateur and CEO of House of An, and the An family were also honored, and Elizabeth shared her own story of having a mentor when she was a young immigrant. —Micaela Myers