Kappa Alpha Theta Sister Comes Full Circle Back to CASA Cause

Ashley Cray was just three years old when she met her CASA volunteer, the person who would speak for her needs and represent her rights while her biological mom struggled with addiction and went in and out of rehab.

"She tried hard to keep me, but it didn't work. So when I was six years old, I was adopted," says Ashley, a University of Nevada/Reno graduate who works in Portland, OR, for an IT consulting group.

But Ashley's connection with the CASA program didn't end in her early childhood. When she started college, she joined Kappa Alpha Theta fraternity – and happily found that National CASA was Theta's chosen philanthropy across North America.

"I knew that one of the biggest challenges was awareness: getting the word out about CASA and that they need volunteers," Ashley said.

She became the philanthropy chairman at her chapter and planned a walk/run event, drawing individuals and families both in the Greek system and in the Reno area at large. With Ashley and her mom covering the event's expenses, the chapter raised $3,000 and elevated CASA in the eyes of the community.

"My parents are big into marathon racing and the running community in Reno, so I involved them, and every girl reached out to family members. In all, we had 150 participants," Ashley says, adding, "I would have loved to do more, but my idea was just to lay the groundwork for more CASA benefit events in the future."

The chapter ran the CASA walk/run two more years after Ashley left school, and stopped for one or two years before getting back into it recently. And this past year, Ashley attended Kappa Alpha Theta's Grand Convention to tell her story and encourage the group to focus on awareness-generating events.

"All of the events are important and helpful, even if a bake sale raises just $200 or $300. But even with the smaller efforts, it's important for people to know what their money is going toward: to help CASA help children," Ashley says.

And people are often surprised to discover that Ashley herself was once a foster child and was adopted.

"That has been the best part of this whole experience," she says. "People tell me they've never met a foster child, but I tell them, 'We're normal people!' And I get to tell my story and explain what I went through, so they can really see how important the CASA program is."