For children in the court system through no fault of their own, Court Appointed Special Advocates provide care, but funds for training are limited. Those funds must be raised somewhere, so each year Drake University’s own Kappa Alpha Theta hosts the fundraising event Cakes for CASA.
This year, Theta held Cakes for CASA, which lasted from 6-10 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the chapter’s house. The house was covered with Cakes for CASA decorations such as Cakes for CASA stickers and raffle tickets were sold at the front door. Theta sisters served an unlimited amount of plain and chocolate chip pancakes with a serving of breakfast sausage and drinks in the basement of their house.
Khushi Agrawal, a new member of Theta, said the Fraternity and Sorority Life community came together to help raise funds. Agrawal saw at least one person from each FSL chapter at the event.
“[The turnout is] pretty impressive,” Agrawal said. “It shows that we are such a good collaborative community; we support each other’s philanthropies and stand for each other.”
Just under $900 was raised for this event, said Vice President of External Affairs Brea Mavin.
Because CASA training is expensive, Theta directed 75% of its funds from this event to Iowa’s Polk County CASA, with the remaining 25% going to Theta’s foundation. This gives Theta the opportunity to keep doing what they’re doing with these events, Agrawal said.
Through this event, Khushi mentioned becoming closer to her Theta sisters and their philanthropy in general.
Theta’s president, Dusty Lick, said that especially since the U.S. government tried to pull from CASA in April, togetherness was important. The Theta organization as a whole came together to bring awareness on social media, Lick said, and the funds were later restored in August.
As a couple of people came into Agrawal’s Theta family through this cause, she feels personally connected to it as well, she said.
“One of our Theta sisters herself found a loved one because of the cause that we stand for,” Agrawal said.
As an elementary education major with an early childhood endorsement, Mavin’s personal connection with Theta’s philanthropy revolves around her studies.
“Seeing kids be supported in situations that aren’t their own fault is really important to me,” Mavin said. “I see firsthand a lot of kids that don’t have that, and I see a lot of kids that need someone to be there for them.”
CASAs are trained to care for a variety of kids in the court system, whether the kid is in foster care, dealing with parental divorce, or a victim of abuse or neglect by their guardians. As someone who was in the foster care system as a child, Lick said she had a deep connection with the sorority’s philanthropy, even though she never had a CASA herself.
“I got to meet so many great people in Theta who did have a CASA, and it changed the outcome of their situation,” Lick said. “A lot of Thetas have gone and become CASAs themselves.”
Theta hasn’t only left an impact on CASA through their fundraisers; they’ve also raised awareness on campus and social media.
“Awareness is one of Theta’s biggest impacts,” Mavin said. “[It’s] put on people’s radar that [CASA] is available for children.”
“It had an impact, and as a result, I think all of the support for CASA brought back its government funding,” Lick said.
Other than attending Theta’s annual Cakes for CASA, non-members can support the cause by donating through the link in Drake Theta’s Instagram or training to become a CASA themselves.
For the spring semester of 2026, Drake students can look forward to an event held in the Olmsted Center breezeway that also benefits CASA. This event will either be Cookies for CASA or Cupcakes for CASA.
