Annual CASA Artfest builds hope

(This post was edited on 07/15/2024 for name corrections.)

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Grant County, or CASA, held its 16^th annual Sand Sculpture Artfest on July 13 at the Splash House.

“We are a nonprofit agency here in Grant County serving abused and neglected children,” said CASA’s executive director, Leslie Hendricks.

CASA advocates for children in judicial proceedings, focusing primarily on safety, stability and permanency.

However, Hendricks did not come up with the fundraiser idea on her own. Two children pitched the original idea.

Bradley and Lauren Belcher wanted to do something for kids less fortunate than them and worked with their parents to fund ways to raise money.

“So in April 2009, the board of directors heard from those two children at the ages of 10 and 7 with this idea that no one had ever thought of before,” Hendricks said.

Now Artfest serves as the agency’s only fundraiser. CASA relies on donations and grants for the remainder of its funding.

“We have a $20,000 goal each year, and the community has always met and surpassed that. So we’ve been very fortunate,” Hendricks said.

Attendees and participants said they believe in CASA’s mission.

State Representative Lori Goss-Reaves said CASA is near and dear to her family’s heart.

“We love supporting this organization and all that they do,” Goss-Reaves said. “I’ve seen it firsthand, and this will always be a place I’ll be if I’m able to be here.”

In Grant County, CASA serves an average of 275 children each year.

“I believe if we didn’t have a CASA program in Grant County, there would be more children that fly under the radar,” said CASA supervisor Charlene Johnson.

Johnson said the homes that some of the kids come from are a façade, appearing great on the outside but not on the inside.

The Artfest allows the community to support CASA’s mission creatively, with each sand sculpture capturing a different aspect of Grant County life. 

“I’m always really impressed with what (CASA’s) volunteers and contributors can do there,” said Splash House director Andy Davis. “A lot of the sculptures are really impressive. People have a lot of fun with it, put a lot of work into it.”

Adults and children worked on sculptures using shovels and trowels, as well as spray paint and bubble machines.

“Just to see the number of people that come out and just enjoy playing in the sand, kind of (like they’re) going back to their childhood … it is really amazing,” Libby Root of Thriving Grant County said.