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The 6th Annual Court Appointed Special Advocates Ice Cream Social was a big success. "We raised money, we raised awareness and we got two new advocates," said Colleen McCarthy, the primary organizer of the two-hour CASA event at Sanders County Fairgrounds Sunday afternoon.

It was the biggest fundraiser of the year for CASA, fetching $4,217 from donations and from a silent auction. "CASA is a nationwide program of volunteer advocates who investigate the cases of abused and neglected children in the court system," said Ann Marie McNeil, its executive director in Polson. The program began in Lake County 13 years ago and in Sanders County in 2014 by Betty Boehler of Plains and Polly Cavill, formerly of Plains. Cavill, who served on the board for six years and had been the county's first advocate, was on hand at the event and said being an advocate had been the most rewarding work she had done. 

Close to 100 people attended the event, which included free ice cream, compliments of Ripples Ice Cream Parlor in Plains, homemade brownies, compliments of the CASA volunteers, a silent auction, and musical entertainment from Missoula resident Tanner Laws, formerly of Thompson Falls. The 24-year-old sang a variety of country western songs nearly the entire event.

Individuals and businesses from Plains, Thompson Falls and Trout Creek donated 32 items that ranged from a 41-inch tall stuffed "Pegasus" donated by Mountain West Clothing that went for $25 to two silver dollars donated by Rocky Mountain Bank that sold for $25 each. Leonard Larson of Plains bought both silver dollars, but donated $50 more. The item fetching the highest amount was a five-foot long gas weed eater that sold for $160. Kathy Gregg, the board's treasurer, said a lot of people donated beyond the price of the item. She said one man donated $200 over his winning bid and said there was "awesome support from the community." The silent auction alone took in $1,495. The ice cream social is one of two fundraisers that CASA in Sanders County holds annually. They will also have a chili feed in February, usually held at St. James Catholic Church in Plains, although they didn't have any fundraisers last year due to COVID. 

The money raised Sunday will go to paying for the training of Sanders County CASA advocates, said McCarthy, who's been on the board for three years, taking over after her mother, Peg McCarthy, retired from the board, although she still helps with fundraising events. CASA relies on fundraisers, donations and federal, state and private grants to operate, although it also receives some money from the Montana Supreme Court, according to Colleen McCarthy. 

However, the fundraisers aren't just to raise money. It's also to educate people about CASA's mission and to recruit additional advocates. Presently, Sanders County has five trained advocates from Thompson Falls and Hot Springs. Carol Searl of Thompson Falls was the only advocate at Sunday's event. "I wants kids to be able to take on life with a good start and many of them don't get that," said Searl, who's been an advocate for almost two years. "If we don't speak for them, their voices don't get heard," she added. She said that working with the children can be an emotional experience but rewarding. "At the end of the day, I feel like I've contributed to something important," said Searl, who is presently working with eight children.

McCarthy wanted to make it clear that CASA doesn't take children away from their homes; that's the job of Child Protective Services and they do it prior to CASA getting involved. CASA advocates work with children, the biological parents, foster parents, CPS, schools, and anyone that plays a role in the children's lives. "The advocates try to understand what is going on in the children's lives so they can make recommendations to the court," said McCarthy. Cases are down because the schools were closed much of last year due to COVID. She said schools, which have the children nearly eight hours a day, five days a week, are one of the key reporting mechanisms and awareness of problems with a child. She said the two district judges are big supporters of the CASA program. "Before CASA, the judges felt that there wasn't anybody involved solely dedicated to the best interest of the child," said McCarthy.

The ice cream social produced two new advocates. Shannon Brown of Plains and Lindsay Laws of Lake County signed up Sunday to be volunteers. A new advocate training session will begin on Sept. 23 and will include 30 hours of training, most of which will be virtual training, said McCarthy. A substantial background check is also conducted on potential advocates. Even with the two new advocates, McCarthy said they need additional help. Anyone interested can call her at (406) 273-8791.