CASA of Lafayette County is gearing up to host its first Community Yard Sale, which will benefit children going through the court system in the LOU Community.

The event will take place at the Orchard Church off Highway 7, with an early bird sale on Friday, July 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. and the main event on Saturday, July 21 from 6 a.m. until all items are sold.

CASA, which stands for Court-Appointed Special Advocates, is a volunteer organization that provides a child going through the court system alone with a volunteer who will act as a constant presence in their lives as they navigate difficult situations.

Training for each CASA volunteer costs $1,000, and all proceeds from the event will go toward providing training for enough volunteers to meet the needs of the community. As of April 2018, 26 children in Lafayette County were placed into state custody, said founder and interim executive director Erin Smith.

“The funds will go toward helping us get started, starting a volunteer class and training for the volunteers,” Smith said. “If you take 26 children in Oxford, that’s $26,000 we need to raise. Outside of that money, we also try to provide school supplies, clothes or other things the children might need.”

Smith said she and the other CASA volunteers have already been overwhelmed with donations, which have ranged from clothing to baby items to large appliances and furniture. The group will also collect donations for four days this week, beginning on Monday and ending Thursday, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Orchard.

Because working as a CASA volunteer is an enormous emotional and time commitment, Smith said she understands the need for and enjoys providing other ways for people to get involved.

“You don’t have to be a volunteer or an advocate to support CASA. There are so many other ways to help,” she said. “So many kids don’t have the resources they need, or even have somebody advocating for them. It’s great to be able to provide that for the community.”

CASA of Lafayette County is one of only seven in the state. In the future, Smith said her goal is to expand regionally Pontotoc and Lee Counties. In the LOU community, the Epsilon Zeta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta supports CASA both nationally and locally through its philanthropy events, which in the past have raised more than $45,000 per year for the organization.

Those who would prefer to make a monetary donation in lieu of purchasing items at the yard sale can visit http://casaoflafayettecounty.com.