Published: June 03, 2009 11:25 am      

CASA trying to solve a mystery

Staff members of CASA of North Texas, a local advocate agency for abused and neglected children, have a mystery on their hands.

Someone provided a generous sponsorship donation for the agency’s annual Cowboys for CASA benefit.

The problem is no one at CASA knows who the donor is.

“It’s a good mystery to have, but we really need help in solving it”, said Vicki Robertson, CASA’s Director.

It started when staff members received a sponsor card in the mail.

“We are about to have Cowboys for CASA, our biggest fundraiser of the year on June 13th. We’ve been soliciting sponsorships to cover the costs of the evening. We were thrilled to receive a sponsor card back from our mail out pledging to be our largest sponsor of the event, in the amount of $2500. This will go a very long way in covering the costs of the evening. Unfortunately, the card was smudged and we could not read the name or contact information of the person who has pledged to be our title sponsor of the event.”

Robertson said she doesn’t think the donor intended to be anonymous.

She just believes the card got smudged and became illegible.

Robertson and her staff did a little detective work to find out who the donor is.

After all, the agency’s benefactor will have his or her corporate logo embossed on the items relating to the event — a dinner/concert affair to benefit the work CASA does for abused and neglected children in Cooke county.

But the group still couldn’t determine who the sponsor is and time is running out, Robertson noted.

“We’re very close to the deadline for getting things to the screen printer, so we really need to hear from the generous person who made this pledge, so that we can get their name on the t-shirts and other promotional items that we do for sponsors”, says Robertson. If you made this pledge or wish to be a sponsor of the event, please contact the CASA office at (940) 665-2244.”

She said she hopes publicity about the donation will prompt the donor to step forward.

Cowboys for CASA is a annual event which provides a large part of the organization’s operating funds each year.

This is Cowboys for CASA’s fifth year and the second year for performer Sonny Burgess to provide the evening’s entertainment.

“He puts on a great show. All together, ‘Cowboys for CASA’ is an evening of good fun and good food for a great cause – CASA’s Kids,” Robertson said.

She said she is also excited about a drawing for a pedigreed quarter horse named Jazziple donated by longtime CASA supporter Eleise Blake of Equine Services Unlimited — an equine business consulting firm.

Tickets for the raffle are on sale at American Bank of Texas and Cavendar’s in Gainesville, Texas Star Bank in Tioga and Kari’s Cuts & Curls in Collinsville as well as the CASA office at 309 S. Commerce St.