Kappa Alpha Theta sorority raised over $10,500 for charity through their “Rock the CASA” event on Nov. 4.
The proceeds will go towards Voices for Children San Diego, which helps fund Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for foster youth.
“CASA advocates go with the kids to their hearings and mediations to make sure they feel as comfortable as possible,” said Olivia Dinardo, Theta’s Vice President of External Affairs. “It provides them with the extra support they need when they’re going through a tough process like that.”
Money was raised through “Rock the CASA” entrance tickets and online donations, which were collected from Theta family members and friends, as well as local businesses.
“Proceeds go straight to the foster kids and helps them pay for things like school supplies,” said Jayla Florence, a Theta member. “Overall, it’s an extra support for everything that they’re going through.”
The event was put on by Nicole Linder and Jessie Perlite, Theta’s fundraising directors.
“I wanted this position as fundraising director because I didn’t want to just support these events, I wanted to come up with them,” said Linder. “I love giving back to the community.”
While the directors organized the event, all Theta members participated by working at it and crowdsourcing donations. Many of them said they were involved with community service in high school and were happy to have the opportunity to continue to do so in college.
“Being in a sorority is all about giving back,” said Florence. “We can’t really do a lot as college kids, but through Greek life, we can help give back to people who don’t have a lot and that need a lot more.”
Attendees of the event enjoyed food and live music. Performances were put on by Cherry Knot, Sideswiped, and The White Collars, which are all San Diego State University student bands. Cherry Knot’s singer, Brooke Diebold, is also a member of Theta.
“(Having SDSU bands) makes it a little more special,” said Perlite. “They have all been awesome during the entire planning process, super helpful. The White Collars even stepped up for us at the last minute.”
Kappa Alpha Theta will continue to host events that support CASA throughout the year. More information can be found on their @thetasdsu.
