Cover Photo: CASA Staff and Board Members at the 2022 John's Picnic held at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest

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Squirt gun battles on a hot August morning, sizzling hamburgers followed by a cold gelato or iced latte, face painting, jumpy houses and strolling magicians. What better way to spend a summer day?

On a recent Saturday morning, over 400 CASAs and their youth joined 100+ volunteers and CASA staff to host the annual CASA Back to School “John’s Picnic.”  Every child who attended went home with a backpack filled with school supplies, a $25 Target gift card and prizes from tables piled high with toys, games and make-up kits. Arts and crafts, jewelry making, baseball, basketball and soccer were all part of the fun and 430 burgers were cooked on-site and served up by In-N-Out.

John’s Picnic is named for John Michael Engstrom who lost his life to leukemia 20 years ago. His parents started the John Michael Engstrom Foundation to honor his legacy and today his mother, Sharon Engstrom, spearheads this annual event which benefits local youth in foster care. Saddleback Church is the generous event host and provides an army of volunteers to help create such a wonderful day for CASA youth.

CASA OC Chief Program Officer, Jenny Leon said, “Thank you SO much to all who helped to support our Annual CASA Back To School ‘John's Picnic!!’ It was an amazing day filled with fun, connecting, food and games, and celebrating the start of a new school year. It was awesome to see our new CASA team members experience the event for the first time, connecting with each other and their volunteers, and as always, the true team effort that comes together to make this event so spectacular.”

It was hard to know by the end of the long, hot day who had the most fun at the picnic; the youth, their CASAs or the volunteers and staff who worked at the event. By day’s end, everyone seemed to be heading home with joy in their heart and a smile on their face.