Light of Hope 2024

Light of Hope, CASA of Northwest Arkansas' signature event, is held annually in November. Bringing together more than 1,200 community and business leaders, the three goals of Light of Hope are to share CASA of Northwest Arkansas' mission and impact, recruit new volunteers, and raise funds.

Breakfast

Thursday, November 7, 2024

7:30am-8:30am

Featuring Keynote Speaker:

Latriece Watkins

Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer, Walmart, U.S.

Lunch

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

12:00pm - 1:00pm

Featuring Keynote Speaker:

Melanie Boulden

Group President, Prepared Foods and Chief Growth Officer, Tyson Foods

CASA of NWA hosts this annual event with three goals in mind: to share our impact and mission, to recruit new volunteers, and to raise program funds.

Sharing The Mission

CASA of NWA is committed to serving and advocating for children who have faced abuse and/or neglect and are in foster care. CASA volunteers provide a consistent voice and advocate for a safe home and promising future for the children involved with their assigned cases. Light of Hope is a wonderful opportunity to hear stories from people who have experienced the impact of this advocacy firsthand.

Recruiting Volunteers

Since 2019, every child in foster care in Northwest Arkansas has been matched with a CASA volunteer. Children enter foster care almost every day, and to continue serving 100 percent of the children in foster care in our community we must continue to recruit and train new volunteers. To that end, Light of Hope is our largest recruitment event each year.

Raising Funds

Light of Hope is our signature fundraising event each year. Through the community’s generous donations at last year’s event, we raised more than $400,000. Each year, these donations ensure we are able to provide advocacy and services to every children currently in foster care in NWA.

Sponsorships are still open! Email Courtney Voigt, Director of Development and Marketing, at courtney@nwacasa.org for more information!

The success of Light of Hope depends on the hard work and enthusiasm of our incredible Table Captains. By inviting others to join them each year at Light of Hope, Table Captains ensure that every child in foster care in NWA is afforded the support and advocacy of a committed CASA volunteer.

This year we want to acknowledge and thank the following individuals who have volunteered to be Table Captains!

Breakfast

  • Lindsey McDonald
  • Andrew McDonald
  • Eugene Kublanov
  • Kelly Church
  • Ashley Klorer
  • Amanda Warzecha
  • James Harris
  • Jacob Organ
  • Chris and Madeline Graves
  • Jodye Pool
  • Cheryl Hatfield
  • Sara Bridges
  • Greg Cathey
  • Blair Dyer
  • Cyndi Dye
  • Ed and Guanica Parrish
  • Jarred Crabtree
  • Britt Dugal
  • Karen Gillespie
  • Samantha Arroyos
  • Ted Fox
  • Sherrie Rodelander
  • Malia Stratton
  • Toni Gemper
  • Wayne and Olga Hamilton
  • Celia Thompkins
  • Patrick Brutus
  • Beth Rivera
  • Varun Gondegaonkar
  • Leslie Lamb
  • Drew Collom
  • Logan and Krystyl Maienschein
  • Ryan Lemoine
  • Brandy Furner
  • Kimberly Powers
  • Kate Waesche
  • Latriece Watkins
  • Julie Reilman
  • Weston Tate
  • Courtney Lindsey
  • Ragan Hensley
  • Susana Silva
  • Vicki Smith
  • Kyle Pattillo
  • Vincent Iannazzo
  • Karen Freeman
  • Jacob McElroy
  • Alicia Martinez
  • Michael Lemna
  • Jeremy Cupp
  • Daniel and Ariel Husband
  • Madeline Nettles
  • Sara Vaught
  • Emily Bowman
  • Kim Love
  • Wyley and Stephanie Elliot
  • Steven and Kim Lane
  • Lance de la Rosa
  • Gary Paryzek
  • Jerrilyn Dailey
  • Jade Terminella-Tinnin
  • Dick Levin
  • Holly Dayberry
  • Melinda Saunders
  • Summer Hull
  • Marla Wright
  • Ramon Portilla
  • Cindy Capobianca
  • James Denning

Lunch

  • Eugene Kublanov
  • Suzi Robinson
  • Michelle Paschal
  • Suzanne and Dan Finstad
  • Mike and Jeannine Wheeler
  • Shane Acosta
  • Tyler and Christine Benson
  • Sylvia Chesser
  • Chris Mitchell
  • Blair Dyer
  • Michael Griffino
  • Jenny Riggles
  • Jennifer Yurachek
  • Alyssa De La Rosa
  • Garrett Lewis
  • Elizabeth Snyder
  • Lauren Lowrey
  • Jami Dugger
  • Kim Beatty
  • Eli Glasser
  • Shelby Watkins
  • Mindi and Matt Ryel
  • Rebecca Grear
  • Brent Mayhew
  • Adam Deckinger
  • Ty Baublits
  • Lenore Cottrell
  • Misty Cooper
  • Brandon Hurlbut
  • Pamela Ford
  • Bill Bowen
  • Kyle Hathaway
  • Lawson Hembree
  • Melanie Gabel
  • Nika Waitsman
  • Amanda Gunther
  • Lisa Salmonsen
  • Adam and Jamie Clark
  • Patrick Simmons
  • Chris Sparks
  • Laura Burns
  • Gus Plumb
  • Kelly Tucker
  • Susan Presley-Prophet
  • Carl West
  • Stephanie Riffle
  • Laura Underwood
  • Cindy and Billy Bradford
  • Stacey Flood
  • Simone Singh
  • Audrey Laughlin

Generously sponsored by:

Presenting Sponsor

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Media

Light of Hope Event Only