For kids craving a fun festival, this drive-thru event is perfect for pandemic days
If your kids are missing their typical fall fair fare, there’s a socially distanced alternative around the corner. Lee’s Summit is playing host Sept. 13 to an annual fundraiser for Jackson County CASA that organizers have reimagined to make pandemic-safe.
It’s called CARnival for CASA, and it’s essentially a drive-thru festival. Families will remain in their vehicles at all times as they wind their way through Unity Village, receiving boxed food and watching stilt-walkers, balloon twisters and exotic animals through the windows. The event also features prizes for kids.
“Once we decided, ‘What if we do a reverse parade?’ then we started having fun and thinking of what carnival tents can we offer that people can see from their cars,” said Angie Blumel, president and CEO of Jackson County CASA.
Kids should come hungry: In addition to boxed lunches, there will be milkshakes, popcorn, cotton candy and other treats.
Longtime CASA supporters John and Susie Newsam are serving as honorary co-chairs of the event. John has volunteered at the event for 10 of its 15 years.
“I figured out that I wanted to be near the entrance where the kids came in to see how excited they were when they got there,” he said.
Even with the pandemic, Susie Newsam sees the event as an essential.
“Children need a safe, healthy, nurturing environment — and fun, too. This might be the only fun event they’ve been able to take part in,” she said.
The carnival is special for CASA kids, but you don’t have to be part of the CASA program to attend.
“Our kids rely on this event. Many of them tell us it’s the best day of the whole summer or the whole year,” she said.
Each attraction will be a different booth, spread out on various spots on the Unity Village campus. Driving through the whole range of stops could take more than an hour, but people can decide how long they want to spend at each one.
All of the volunteers working the event will wear masks, and any food will be in prepacked form to keep everything sanitary. Much of the food and prizes has been in-kind donations from local businesses.
For those families who need it, CASA is partnering with Jewish Family Services to offer boxes of groceries to take home at the end.
Blumel will be there, too: in the dunk tank.
She wants “to provide them with normalcy — they get to be kids. To see the smiles and laughter when families come through, you cannot tell which kids are in foster care. They’re all just kids being kids,” Blumel said.
The event raises money for CASA, which provides court-appointed special advocates for children in the court system who are often victims of neglect or abuse. Their role is to be consistent impartial advocates for the child’s best interests in terms of education and living situation, as well as medical and other therapeutic treatments.
In addition to volunteering for the event, John Newsam has served as an advocate for three children, as well as being on the board for six years and serving as chairman of the board for one.
“These kids didn’t do anything to get in the situation they’re in,” he said. “It’s not their fault. They would rather not be in that situation. As (an advocate), it was our job to make their time that they were involved in the family court the best we could.”
CASA is always looking for new volunteers. Of the approximately 3,000 kids involved with Jackson County’s family court last year, there were only enough volunteers to serve 1,264 through CASA. After going through the training process, volunteers spend about 10 hours a month working on things related to a child’s case.
The event will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13 at Unity Village, 1901 N.W. Blue Parkway. Tickets for the CARnival are available for $60 per car or $30 per child at www.casakc.org or 816-984-8200. People can also donate to sponsor tickets for children who are receiving CASA services.