Camarillo, California – Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is sponsoring the 4th Annual 5K Walk/Run to benefit the county’s court-dependent abused and neglected children. The Walk/Run will be held Saturday, October 11th at College Park in Oxnard. College Park is located on Rose Avenue at Channel Islands Blvd. (site of the Strawberry Festival). Registration begins at 8:00am, and the Walk/Run commences at 9:00 am. There is a registration fee of $10 per child and $15 per adult. Major sponsors include FAMSA and Bi-National Health Week, as well as Basu’s Homestyle, Metal Window Corporation, Joyce A. Brykman CPA, and Kevin and Gerry Rubey.

Sponsorship forms are also available from CASA, for participants who wish to gather pledges for their Walk/Run. A youth bicycle will be raffled off, and there will be appreciation prizes for the adult and child who generate the most pledge money. A fitness trainer will lead participants in stretching exercises prior to the event. The Walk/Run is approximately three miles in length and promotes healthy activity for both adults and children, as well as raising funds to benefit children in crisis.

CASA is a program of Interface Children Family Services and the only program of its kind in Ventura County. CASA volunteers help individual children who have been removed from their homes by the court system because of abuse, neglect or abandonment. The CASA volunteer becomes the child’s voice in court, mentors him or her and provides a stable adult presence throughout the time the child is in foster care or other safe havens. Funds raised from the 5K Walk/Run will assist CASA in training and coordinating additional volunteers, so more children in need can benefit from a CASA’s help and support. Interface Children Family Services is a nonprofit organization, funded primarily through corporate and individual donations and fund-raising events such as this 5K Walk/Run. For more information on becoming a CASA volunteer or for information about the 5K Walk/Run, contact Adi Levi, CASA Volunteer Specialist at (805) 485-6114 x611.