Kappa Alpha Theta hosted its annual Theta Rocks the CASA philanthropy concert at Nashville’s Riverside Revival on Sept. 8 with a headlining performance by Belmont’s Pitch Pockets.
Through admission ticket and raffle ticket sales, Theta raised money for Court Appointed Special Advocates, a non-profit organization that trains volunteers to advocate for the best interest of children in the foster care system in courtrooms and communities. This organization has been the main philanthropy of Theta chapters for over 30 years.
“Theta really loves the idea of supporting these kids,” senior Hannah Craver said. “This organization is not one that you typically hear about, so through this event they just wanted to spread awareness of the fact that this organization is even a thing.”
Farris Turner, Theta’s fundraising director, planned this year's Theta Rocks the CASA concert with the help of a committee of about 50 other Theta members.
“It was not as hard planning this event as I thought it would be,” Turner said. “The hardest part was finding a venue. This building is brand new, and we are one of the first concerts to snatch it up."
The event had a disco cowgirl theme where Theta members and their friends could dress up and dance, while the Pitch Pockets performed their own songs as well as a few covers.
“There was a lot of glitter, pink and cowboy hats,” Craver said. “It was fun to jump around and have a good time on a Thursday night.”
Coming off their win at this year's Battle of the Bands, the Pitch Pockets returned to the spotlight to headline the event.
“Something that is important to me is promoting Belmont artists and giving them the space to perform,” Turner said “I think the Pitch Pockets are a talented group of people that are Belmont students. I just want to show them off and give them a night that is about them. I think having the Pitch Pockets here has been such an honor and privilege.”
The organization hit $2,300 in presale tickets alone. They also sold raffle tickets for prizes and drinks. In the end they raised a total of $3,050 for CASA.
“All the money we are making from this event goes straight to supporting foster kids,” Theta Executive Board Member Leah Kuhn said. “We are not just getting them physically housed but also making sure they have legal advocates and any kind of emotional care that they need.”
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PHOTO: Zoe Spangler/Belmont Vision
This article was written by Zoe Spangler