Story by Shelbi LeMeilleur
Photo by Don House
On Sept. 23, bring the whole family out to the newly renovated Icehouse on Main in Downtown Bryan for a Benefit Concert for Voices for Children, CASA of the Brazos Valley, featuring Trout Fishing in America.
The concert, in its fourth year, is a partnership between Voices for Children and AdventGX. According to Voices for Children Executive Director Anjuli “A.J.” Renold, AdventGX helps plan the event and find sponsors, in addition to hosting the concert. This is the first year the concert will be at the Icehouse on Main.
“Our goal is to support funding through the benefit, but also to promote awareness,” says Joan Quintana, managing partner at AdventGX. “The awareness campaign helps people understand that there is a need for support for foster children in our community, the critical role Voices for Children plays, and the need for CASA volunteers.”
This is the third year Trout Fishing in America will be headlining the concert. The opening act is Keeton Coffman.
“Trout Fishing in America is family friendly; the event is definitely family friendly,” says Quintana. “[Trout Fishing in America] is so supportive of the mission of Voices for Children and just so much fun!”
In addition to the concert, there will be a mini exhibit with information about Voices for Children. Proceeds from the event help fund the overall mission to train volunteers to be Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASAs work with children who have been abused or neglected and removed from their homes. There are currently 82 volunteers, and the next training starts Sept. 9.
“We run a really lean staff for the service we provide for three counties,” says Renold. “Volunteers go through more training than foster parents.” Volunteers will then follow each child through the whole CPS process, she says.
Tickets are on sale now and will also be available at the door on the day of the concert. The concert starts at 7pm. There are four levels of seating: general admission is $20; reserved seating is $35; premium reserved seating is $50; and tables of four are $200.
Sponsorships are still available starting at $250. Email Cynthia Lockledge at cynthia@adventgx.com for more information or to fill out a sponsorship packet.
For more information about the concert or to learn more about Voices for Children, visit www.vfcbrazos.org.
