Determined to ensure every child in the foster care system gets a personalized gift for Christmas, hosts Allison LaBarge and Jackie McBride created the Palm Royale Beach Ball for CASA.
LaBarge and McBride transformed the Montecito Club into a Palm Royale-style Christmas celebration, all to benefit the Christmas wishes of children served by CASA of Santa Barbara County.
More than 50 women walked the pink carpet and posed for photos as the inaugural guests of the Palm Royale Beach Ball for CASA.
They were greeted by a nine-foot pink Christmas tree covered in 90 wish cards, each representing a gift request from a child in the local foster care system.
Wishes included a new bicycle and helmet, Barbie dolls, and Squishmallows. Each wish was personalized with the name and age of a real child.
Guests selected a wish list and donated the value or planned to do the Christmas shopping themselves.
Thanks to the generosity of Beach Ball guests, 100 children in foster care will receive what they wished for this Christmas.
The afternoon event included an auction featuring three packages with a gift card from DOEN; a Champagne Brunch for Two donated by San Ysidro Ranch; and a Palm Royale-inspired pair of 18K gold earrings by Daniel Gibbings, donated by Setenay and David Osman.
Additionally, guests who sponsored a child’s wish list were entered into a raffle to win prizes, such as a Montecito Market Bag, donated by Clic; a Lucky’s Steakhouse gift card; a three-pack of LaBarge Winery Pinot Noir, or one of the floral arrangements donated by Hogue and Co.
LaBarge and McBride opened the evening by sharing their motivations for supporting local children.
“When I moved here, I was looking to get involved with a charity, but I really wanted to feel a connection,” McBride said.
“When I met Kira, and others from CASA, I knew I had found my place. They are the most amazing women who have boots on the ground every day and are changing the lives of local children,” she said.
“Support, comfort and care is what the CASA organization provides for abused and neglected children right here in our community,” LaBarge said. “With your generous help today, we will be able to ensure every child will get their personalized Christmas presents.”
The evening’s keynote speaker Estefany Can, who benefitted from having a CASA volunteer while navigating the foster care system in Santa Barbara County, shared her story.
She recalled the challenges of growing up in foster care and the impact her CASA volunteer had on her life, particularly during the holidays.
Can said her first foster family didn’t celebrate the holidays; she remembered having to throw away her Christmas crafts from elementary school. However, once she was assigned a CASA volunteer, everything changed.
“As I stood on that hill with my CASA, the city lights sparkling below and the ocean stretching beyond, surrounded by my brothers’ laughter, I felt the magic of Christmas for the very first time,” Can said.
To get involved with CASA or to sponsor a child’s wish list, visit https://www.sbcasa.org/beach-ball.
CASA of Santa Barbara County is a nonprofit dedicated to recruiting, training and supporting volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in the foster care system. Volunteers work to ensure every child has a voice and the opportunity for a safe and permanent home.
During the holidays, CASA ensures every child it serves, along with children identified by our partners at Child Welfare Services, receives Christmas gifts, totaling more than 550 local children.
Learn more about CASA at https://www.sbcasa.org/.