Gala to support abused, neglected children

Posted by ChaddsFordLive on November 16, 2015

The majority of abused and neglected children do not have an advocate looking out for their best interests, and Delaware County Court-Appointed Youth Advocates (CASA) is working to change that.

Christina Baker Kline, the best-selling author of *Orphan Train*, will be the guest speaker at Delaware County CASA's 2015 Gala.

In 2013, more than 1,500 children, more than 80 percent of them under the age of 3, died in the U.S. from abuse and neglect, prompting the need for “champions for the traumatized,” according to the nonprofit’s website. The agency provides a variety of services, including recruiting, training and supporting volunteer advocates, who work to help abused and neglected children find a nurturing home.

According to research conducted through the National CASA Association, children with a court-appointed special advocate are more likely to be adopted, are half as likely to re-enter foster care, receive more services while in the system, and perform better in school. Insuring these improved outcomes for all children in Delaware County’s and Chester County’s dependency courts becomes a matter of resources, providing the impetus for CASA’s fundraisers, the CASA website said.

Its 2015 Gala will be held on Friday, Dec. 4, at the Drexelbrook Corporate Center in Drexel Hill. The guest speaker will be Christina Baker Kline, the best-selling author of Orphan Train, a novel that chronicles a search for family inspired by the so-called orphan trains that ran regularly from the cities of the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children, during the late 19^th-century.

Orphan Train was inspired by the transport of thousands of abandoned children, during the late 19th-century cities of the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest, carrying — *Orphan Train* was inspired by the transport of thousands of abandoned children during the late 19th-century from the East to the Midwest.

Orphan Train’s two main characters – a Depression-era orphan and a modern-day foster child – seek the kind of safe, nurturing homes that CASA aims to provide for children. Kline’s description of the challenges and discrimination faced by these unwanted, mostly immigrant children is expected to resonate with the event’s guests.

The evening will include open bar, dinner, awards, and both a live and silent auction, featuring items ranging from enticing getaways to gourmet cuisine. All proceeds from the gala will be used for CASA operations for the next calendar year.

For tickets, advertising, and sponsorship information, call 610-565-2208 or visit www.delcoCASA.org.