OVG360 AND COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA) FOR CHILDREN OF ATLANTIC, CAPE MAY, AND CAMDEN COUNTIES PARTNER TO SUPPORT NEGLECTED AND ABUSED CHILDREN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
LOCAL BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS INVITED TO SPONSOR A CUSTOM-DECORATED HOLIDAY TREE AT FORTH ANNUAL “DECK THE HALL- FESTIVAL OF TREES” EVENT AT JIM WHELAN BOARDWALK HALL

OVG360, the provider of Venue Management and Food Services & Hospitality to Atlantic City’s Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and the Convention Center, have announced a renewed partnership with the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children of Atlantic, Cape May, and Camden Counties to support neglected and abused children this holiday season.

In conjunction and with the support of the CRDA and Lite 96.9 WFPG, local businesses, organizations, arena partners, and individuals are invited to “Deck The Hall” by sponsoring a custom decorated holiday tree which will be displayed at a private reception with individuals and agencies who help local children and families in the Boardwalk Hall lobby on Thursday, December 1, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and to the public for the remainder of the holiday season. Proceeds from the event will be donated directly to CASA to help recruit and train more volunteers to serve children living in the foster care system in Atlantic, Cape May, and Camden counties.

“Townsquare Media is getting in the holiday spirit, while trimming trees and supporting Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children of Atlantic and Cape May Counties,” said Jennifer Smith of Townsquare Media.

“I am sure we at CASA for Children aren’t the only ones excited that The Deck the Hall Festival of Trees event is back! This holiday staple was greatly missed during the pandemic. It is just one of the many ways that OVG360 and its employees give back to the community, and we are honored to be chosen as the beneficiary of this spirited event,” said Terry Norton-Wright, CASA’s Director of Development. “The feelings of goodwill that this event inspires gives us a wonderful platform to raise awareness about the challenges facing children in foster care and the importance of having a CASA volunteer at their side every step of the way.”

CASA for Children recruits, trains, and supports citizen-volunteers who advocate for children in the community and ensures that a well-trained independent volunteer is able to voice timely and objective recommendations to the Family Court on behalf of a child. A child with a CASA volunteer is:

Twice as likely to be adopted, than to linger in long-term foster care

Half as likely to re-enter the foster care system

More likely to have a plan for finding a permanent home

More likely to have better educational achievement

In Atlantic, Cape May and Camden Counties last fiscal year, 464 children had a CASA volunteer, a trusted adult who will stick with them until their case is resolved.  Hundreds of children in these counties are still in need of a volunteer.

For more information visit www.BoardwalkHall.com or https://bit.ly/3qww80I.  To become a sponsor, please contact Erin Satterfield at [email protected]. 

To date, the annual ‘Deck the Hall- Festival of Trees’ event has generated $58,000 for local community organizations.  The event has generated $52,000 total for CASA and in 2014 $6,000 was raised for the Community FoodBank of New Jersey Southern Branch to support those in need.

About CASA

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Atlantic and Cape May Counties and its trained volunteers speak on behalf of abused and neglected children in the foster care system and are dedicated to ensuring these children are placed in safe permanent homes as quickly as possible. For more info, visit AtlanticCapeCASA.org.

Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and the Atlantic City Convention Center are operated by OVG360 and owned and funded by the CRDA.

About OVG360: OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, is a full-service venue management and hospitality company that helps client-partners reimagine the sports, live entertainment, and convention industries for the betterment of the venue, employees, artists, athletes, and surrounding communities. With a portfolio of more than 200 client-partners spanning arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairs around the globe, OVG360 provides a set of services, resources and expertise designed to elevate every aspect of business that matters to venue operators. Service-oriented and driven by social responsibility, OVG360 helps facilities drive value through excellence and innovation in food services, booking and content development, sustainable operations, public health and public safety and more.

About the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA): The only agency of its kind nationwide, the CRDA has used Atlantic City casino reinvestments as a catalyst for meaningful, positive improvement in the lives of New Jersey residents since 1984. Under the 2011 Tourism District Act, the Authority's mission evolved from statewide projects to becoming the state's key economic development agency for Atlantic City. CRDA's expanded responsibilities now include land use regulation, tourism marketing and clean and safe initiatives. The CRDA also oversees Historic Boardwalk Hall (the leading entertainment venue of its size in the country) and the Atlantic City Convention Center. In total, CRDA has invested nearly $2 billion in more than 400 projects statewide, of which $1.8 billion has been invested in Atlantic City, spurring business investments and expansions, and creating permanent jobs in the process. For more information about CRDA and our projects, visit www.njcrda.com. Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/njcrda, and Twitter at www.twitter.com/njcrda.