Local ladies will have the opportunity to “sip, savor and shop” for a good cause next Saturday during CASA’s second annual In Her Shoes event.
CASA — Citizens Against Spouse Abuse — assists and advocates for local victims of sexual and domestic violence. CASA Executive Director Lori Haney told the Democrat last year prior to the inaugural event that the title In Her Shoes has a two-fold meaning — most women love shopping, especially shoes, but also refers to learning about the journey an abuse survivor goes through.
“Have fun on a girls night out, but celebrate the cause that CASA is really working to end rape and abuse in our community,” Haney said Friday afternoon.
The event will be hosted at the Fox Theater Events Center, 104 E. Fifth St., which is a change from a previously listed venue. Haney said she and the planning committee are working on contacting all sponsors, volunteers and others who have already purchased tickets regarding the venue change.
“We have unfortunately had to change the location of our venue due to some difficulties we were having with coordinating our previous venue, so we will have the same great event at a new location, which is the Fox Theater, who has been wonderfully accommodating during these changes,” Haney said.
In addition to a live and silent auction, Saturday’s event will feature 15 local vendors plus several games with the chance to win prizes. Attendees can purchase one of 50 shoe boxes for $25, with each containing gift certificates worth at least $50; two will have a $200 certificate to Rock ‘n Rollers. Wine charms will be available for $10, which enters the purchaser in a drawing for a chance to win a Vincent’s gift card, and there will be a 50/50 raffle. Those who choose to purchase all three games can get a $5 discount.
Haney added that there will be “silver tray service” from male ambassadors in the community, such as Mayor Stephen Galliher, as well as local firefighters and law enforcement officers.
Emcee for the night will be CASA board President Tollie Rowe, who is also a Ward 4 Sedalia City Councilman and a sergeant detective at the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office.
“As a law enforcement officer, as the board president of CASA, the many hats he wears in this community, he is very knowledgeable and has dealt firsthand with the trauma that has been caused by the presence of domestic and sexual violence in our community,” Haney said of Rowe. “We couldn’t be prouder to have him as our president and couldn’t think of anyone better to be our emcee for the night.”
While the event is meant as a fun night out, it is also an opportunity to support CASA and its clients.
“I think I’m speaking for a lot of nonprofits, a lot of us are funded by government grants and that process is becoming all the more competitive with even more oversight and (the grants are) restricted funding,” Haney said. “So the ability to raise unrestricted revenues, especially from your community, gives us the power to do a lot of activities within our facility and our programs that some of our funding does not allow.”
CASA operates a residential facility that is open 24/7 for rape and abuse victims when they need to leave an unsafe living situation. Haney said updates are needed at the facility, such as new HVAC, siding and flooring. However, those types of projects are considered capital improvement, which most government funding does not include. That’s where fundraisers like In Her Shoes makes a difference.
“These revenue streams I think will be directed toward the improvements at our facility because at the end of the day, it is a shelter for rape and abuse victims and we have to have a facility to ensure they have a safe place to go when it’s no longer safe for them to be in their home,” Haney said. “It may not sound sexy that we’re putting siding on a building, but it really is the health and sanitation and general well-being of that facility ensures it remains a safe, habitable place for people to come to when they need us.”
Tickets are $50 and include food catered by Ivory Grille as well as beer and wine. A limited number of tickets are available at W-K Chevrolet.
