On October 16, at 7 p.m., Cocktails for CASA: A Night of Hope at Home will be an incredible evening of cooking, cocktails and fundraising to help give Jackson County CASA children hope. The virtual cooking and cocktail experience includes a kit with all the ingredients to be guided by the Antler Room’s Mixologist Leslie Newsam Goellner, daughter of power couple, John and Susie Newsam, and award-winning Chef Nick Goellner as participants follow along and prepare a cocktail specially created for the event, along with fresh, homemade pasta and sauce for two. The pasta is a sweet potato dough with a fall ratatouille, lemon, parsley, and black pepper butter, topped with garlic breadcrumbs. The drink is a Gin Pear cocktail.
A fourth-generation Lee’s Summit resident, Susie’s father was an optometrist who served on the Lee’s Summit School Board for 18 years, and her mother taught in LS schools for 52 years. In addition to serving with John as Honorary Co-Chairs of CARnival for CASA, Susie worked at LSHS, is Board President of Meals on Wheels of Lee’s Summit and serves on the board of Lee’s Summit Symphony Orchestra.
John is former Chair of the Jackson County CASA Board of Directors. He became involved with the nonprofit, serving on the board six years, volunteering for three years prior and then board chair for one year. While volunteering, he worked on two cases where three children were adopted by loving safe families.
“I’m very excited that my son-in-law Nick and daughter Leslie have embraced this program,” John says. “CASA is just down the street from their restaurant, and I’m glad they are giving back to the community while trying to survive COVID.”
Susie says, “The younger generation are our future, and it’s great to see young entrepreneurs grasping the opportunity to help CASA children, because they are also our future.”
This virtual event will raise funds to recruit, train and support Jackson County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteers advocating for 1,250 children removed from their homes for their safety due to abuse and neglect this year.
“We are so grateful to the Newsam family—John, Susie, daughter Leslie and Chef Nick for the tremendous support of not only CASA but the community,” says Angie Blumel, president and CEO of Jackson County CASA. “They are truly a philanthropic family and we appreciate them so much.”
Visit casakc.org.
