The Church Point High School Ag Department partnered with CASA of St. Landry-Evangeline for a community service fundraiser project.
Agriculture students, who range from sophomores to seniors, are under the direction of Alyssa Stelly and Lyle Guidry. They started building a Children's Noah's Ark Playhouse at the end of January and recently completed the 18' x 8' structure. They enjoyed working diligently on it everyday.
Benefit raffle tickets for the Children's Noah's Ark Playhouse can be purchased at the CASA of St. Landry-Evangeline offices in Opelousas, located at 421 N. Main St., Opelousas, LA 70570 (337-948-3550) and in Ville Platte, located at 615 W. Magnolia St., Ville Platte, LA 70586 (337-506-2272).
The playhouse is valued at $4,000. The tickets are being sold at $5 per ticket or $40 per book. The drawing will be held at the eighth Annual CASA Kids Benefit Banquet, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 15, at the Opelousas Civic Center. The winner does not need to be present to win.
CASA St. Landry-Evangeline exists to make a difference in the lives of abused and neglected children who are in the state's foster care system.
Through support of CASA of St. Landry-Evangeline, Inc. Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) speak up for the best interest of an abused child. They review records and talk to everyone involved, social workers, attorneys, judges, parents, teachers, family members and, of course, the children themselves. They then present their recommendation to the courts, stating what they believe is best for the child. Judges, who often refer to CASAs as their "eyes and ears," rely heavily on this testimony to make an informed decision about the child's future.
In Louisiana:
–A child is abused every 48 minutes.
–Every 10.5 hours a child is confirmed to have been sexually abused.
–At any give time there are over 5,000 children in foster care. Of those in foster care, 48 percent are under 5 years old.
–A child dies before his or her first birthday every 14 hours.
–As of Jan. 31, there were 80 children in foster care in St. Landry Parish, and 67 in Evangeline Parish, a total of 147 children.
In 2016:.
–41 children died in the State of Louisiana due to abuse and neglect.