Kappa Alpha Theta - Univerity of Kansas

National Philanthropy

In 1989, Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity adopted National CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, as the fraternity’s official philanthropy. CASA volunteers are trained community volunteers who speak on behalf of abused and neglected children in the court system. Advocates provide valuable information to the judges as to what is best for the child and also help expedite the legal process so these children will still have a chance at childhood.

The Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation plays a critical role in this partnership. Through generous donations from members, the Foundation supports National CASA with a sixty thousand dollar biennial grant to underwrite their toll free phone number, educational materials and displays for volunteers, and the Kappa Alpha Theta Program Director of the Year program. To date, the Foundation has donated over seven hundred sixty-nine thousand dollars to CASA. Gifts from generous individuals, college chapters, and alumnae chapters enable the Foundation to support this worthwhile cause.

The CASA program consists of 930 local programs and 46 state organizations. In 2002, 70,130 CASA volunteers served an estimated 279,160 children.

CASA programs can help a displaced child find the security needed to grow and reach full potential. It's been shown that:

Children who have been assigned CASA volunteers tend to spend less time in court and less time in foster care than those who do not have CASA representation.
CASA advocated children have better chances of finding permanent homes.
CASA cases are more likely to be reviewed on a regular basis by the court.

Local Philanthropy

To help support CASA, our chapter annually hosts two different events.

Since 1983, the women of Kappa Alpha Theta at the University of Kansas have organized a 5K run/walk and 10K run through our beautiful campus to benefit Douglas County CASA. Since the first run, Sun Run has been giving Theta families, KU faculty, and members of the Lawrence community a chance to join in on the fun and help support a great cause like CASA!

Sun Run is one of Douglas County CASA's key fundraisers and has contributed over $6,000 in previous years. Our goal this year is to give CASA more than we ever have in the past and we would love to have your support! By participating in this year's Sun Run or by purchasing a t-shirt, you can help us donate more than ever before.

For the past three years, we have hosted May Day Sundaes as our spring philanthropy event. As an ice cream social, May Day Sundaes is a great way for people to spend a beautiful spring afternoon in the park playing games, listening to a live band and enjoying delicious ice cream sundaes, all while supporting Douglas County CASA!