Rock the CASA

Saturday from one to five p.m. Kappa Alpha Theta hosted their second annual benefit concert in their parking lot at 850 NE Monroe street.

Kappa Alpha Theta sold Rock the CASA tickets for $5, and all of the proceeds will go to court appointed special advocates, or CASA.

“CASA helps children that come from abused or neglected homes, when they are wards to the legal system,” Hannah Fanslow, Kappa Alpha Theta’s current philanthropy chair, said. “CASA makes a child’s life easier, and they provide things like senior pictures, summer camps for kids, or just support in general.”

Saturday’s concert included the performers Cassie Correlle, All Hands Point Up, Sight vs. Sound, and Brett Hite. Papa John’s sold pizza at the event for $2 with 20 percent of the profits from the day going to CASA.

Last year was the first time the sorority put on the concert because before they had a different philanthropy event.

“We used to make calendars of the men of WSU, and along with that we held a flag football tournament for teams to participate in,” said Erin Ehrmantraut Kappa Alpha Theta’s previous philanthropy chair.

Ehrmantraut said that the cost to make the calendars was more than the money they actually raised for CASA.

“I think we raised maybe $3,000 selling calendars, and when we put on Rock the CASA last year, we raised over $5,000,” she said.

Because Rock the CASA was so successful last year, Fanslow said she felt pressure to put on a good event.

“I think the philanthropy chairs set the bar really high last year, and I felt I had to make the event just as successful if not more,” she said.

Fanslow said she thought Saturday had a turnout bigger than last year.

“There were a lot of things that have been improved upon this year,” said Katie Ireland, Kappa Alpha Theta’s other philanthropy chair from last year.

Ireland and Ehrmantraut agreed that getting a local band this year was a great idea, and it helped greatly with the turnout of the event.

Even though the concert was considered a success, Ehrmantraut said there is always room for improvement.

“The concert had exactly the same setup as last year, and I think we should strive for some more variety,” she said.

Fanslow said she has some tips for the pair that takes over the position of philanthropy chairs next year like making sure there is communication and that they work together.

“I felt like the work between the two philanthropy chairs seemed very one-sided,” Ireland said. “It’s a lot of work because so many things have to be taken into account.”

“Planning a concert is a lot harder and more detail-oriented than I thought,” Fanslow said. She also said the services in the CUB were helpful since Kappa Alpha Theta is a registered student organization.

Theta not only revamped their philanthropy to raise more money, but also to get the community more involved, said Ehrmantraut.

Fanslow said people from the community and family members of the band came this year.

“Our event isn’t exclusive to the Greek Community and we hope to expand it so even more people want to get involved,” she said.

The women hope that they can expand Rock the CASA and make it bigger and better each year.

“We hope in the future CASA will get big enough on our campus for more well-known bands to play,” Fanslow said.