By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
EL RENO – Child advocates and barbecue enthusiasts enjoyed a two-day cookoff judged by the prestigious Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) at Lake El Reno Friday and Saturday.
The event was a fundraiser for the Canadian County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. Last Friday, a children and youth cooking competition were held and the adults plied their best meat Saturday.
“We had two different age groups for the kid’s ‘que Friday night and one of the winners, Cole Kennedy donated his $25 prize back to the (CASA) organization,” CASA Executive Director Krystle Lane said. “I think he is 11 and it was really sweet of him to do that.”
The juvenile competition challenged contestants to cook with hamburger meat, in any form they preferred. As many as 20 adult teams competed in pork, chicken and beef and stood to win up to $10,000 in prizes.
Children enjoyed free games and crafts including a dunk tank, face painting, body art, and the chance to climb aboard law enforcement and first responder vehicles.
CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to assist children through the process of recovering from abuse and be a voice for the child in court.
Studies show that children who experience trauma and abuse are exponentially more likely to engage in addiction, experience depression, commit crime and end up in prison. The children who receive a CASA volunteer are more likely to recover and live a healthy adult life.
“Children who experience abuse face a whole host of negative outcomes, everything from being more likely to have failed marriages to a 20-year shorter life span than their peers who haven’t experienced trauma,” Lane said. “We know that when they have someone like a CASA step into their lives, those children do not have the high levels of negative outcomes compared to those who don’t have someone who steps in for them.”
CASA advocates concern themselves with the well-being and best interests of the child they are assigned to help. They have access to DHS records and build a relationship with the child to better understand their needs. The information they gather can be used in court.
These children may need tutoring, clothing, or shelter and CASAs work to connect them with services.
Sometimes a CASA is simply there when a child needs someone the most, out of court.
“We had a case where this child in an inpatient facility and hadn’t had any visitors from his family in a while,” Lane recalled. “The CASA went on Christmas Eve, away from her family, to spend time with the child on her case.”
Often, CASAs do the most good by offering a kind word of encouragement. Lane recalled a conversation she and a CASA had with a young woman who needed affirmation.
“I had the opportunity to sit down with a teen who had just so many negative experiences. She was heading down a difficult path. I told her she had the ability to make different choices, and she was worth her own good choices, that she was valuable. She cried and said for the first time in her life, before having us tell her that, she had never been told that before. Those are the moments that break your heart,” she said.
Canadian County has 30 CASAs working to make a difference in the life of a child, but there are far too few to go around for the county’s 300 children in DHS supervision. CASA volunteers are assigned one child per case.
Volunteers must be 21 and pass a criminal background check.
“We have people who think if they’d had a speeding ticket or parking ticket that can’t pass the background check, but we’re looking for violent crimes or crimes against children,” Lane said. “They have to complete 30 hours of training and we’re really flexible on that.”
The fundraiser, Lane hopes, will make it possible to gain even more volunteers. For every 30 volunteers, a supervisor is assigned for the group which creates a demand for funds. CASA hoped to raise $10,000 but at press time the donations had not been tallied. Lane said a fundraiser like the one held last weekend will be held each year.
“We got wonderful feedback,” Lane said. “Over time this going to grow into something that will be a signature event. It went really well. This was the first KCBS sanctioned cookoff in the county.”
