A few years ago, CASA OC faced a unique challenge: where to host large events for youth in foster care alongside their CASA volunteers. After a couple of events at a regional park, it became clear that the lack of infrastructure and the absence of privacy for the children in attendance were major hurdles. But sometimes, challenges spark unexpected opportunities. One of CASA’s board members, who also had ties to Saddleback Church, saw a chance to make a difference. She reached out to Max McGhee, one of Saddleback’s outreach pastors, to discuss the possibility of a partnership. His response? “We’d love to explore how we can work together.”

Fast forward to 2025 and the Saddleback Church Lake Forest campus is now the home of CASA’s annual Holiday Party, it’s Back-To-School Picnic and the annual CASA Conference for advocates. In addition to providing a fantastic venue for these signature events, Saddleback also provides an army of volunteers and helps CASA recruit more advocates by providing tabling opportunities at multiple church events throughout the year.

Both Trena Berrier, a volunteer with Saddleback Church, and Misty Webb, CASA’s Community Partnership Coordinator, are busy putting the final touches on the CASA Holiday Party. The annual event draws about 500 CASA youth and their advocates from throughout Orange County for a day of holiday activities. Trena says, “It’s a lot of fun to create an event where the kids can just be kids. Misty and I work to create a space for the CASAs to enjoy with the children - to engage and build relationships in a fun, inviting setting. There are a lot of great things to do; crafts, music, Santa, gifts, food and a holiday movie theatre. This year, we’re launching a ‘Snowball Showdown’ to offer the kids a snowball fight complete with inflatable bunkers.” Trena laughs and adds, “We’ll have plenty of volunteers on hand to prevent mayhem.”

Max, who also heads up Saddleback’s Initiative for Vulnerable Children (IVC) says, “We feel very fortunate to have this partnership. We feel strongly that CASA plays a critical role in the lives of youth in foster care, so being able to support the mission of CASA is something we hold dear and believe strongly in.”

Another way Saddleback works to support youth is through Ambassadors of Compassion, a videos-based life skills program. Saddleback and Young Life One host a weekly gathering for at-risk teens in the community. While the gathering was initially designed to be faith-based, a secular curriculum is used to support CASA youth. The program has also been utilized at high schools throughout Orange County. Max says, “Today’s youth struggle with challenges no previous generation has faced. Typical youth challenges are super-charged with social media. Kids are now expected to be a ‘brand.’ We’ve all seen the studies about anxiety and depression.” 

The CASA OC and Saddleback Church partnership extends beyond just creating special events for CASA youth. Each summer, the church’s Lake Forest campus also hosts 200-300 CASA volunteers who attend the daylong CASA Conference. The conference provides an opportunity to recognize CASA’s hard-working volunteers and to provide inspirational panels, speakers and training. This year Saddleback Church provided training on Trust Based Relational Interventions (TBRI) for all attendees. Max described the importance of TBRI by saying, “It is the most holistic, easy to understand framework for understanding kids who have been through really tough things. It teaches techniques for disarming their fears, helping them put their guards down, and empowering them to be a kid again.” He continued, “These kids who have been harmed in relationships can only be healed through healthy relationships. It’s important to empower everyone who engages with these kids with the necessary relational skills to build those bridges and help find pathways towards hope, health and healing.”

Max and Trena are both hopeful they can further expand the partnership between Saddleback Church and CASA OC. They are talking about launching a “Boys Day” specifically for male CASA youth. Another fun, inspirational event for CASA volunteers is on the drawing board as well. Max says, “We recognize that the CASA experience can be challenging, so we want to do something fun for volunteers like hosting a coffee bar or providing a meal while offering an opportunity for peer-to-peer support and connection.”  He added, “We really value our partnership with CASA. Our goal is to not just to create fun and memorable events, but to also help youth build resilience as they enter adulthood.”