From 6-9 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2014 in the Thwing Ballroom, the Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity for Women will host their annual KATwalk, a competitive fashion show to raise money for their philanthropy, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

CASA is a not-for-profit organization that focuses on providing courtroom advocates for neglected, abused and abandoned children. Most of these kids do not have stable authority figures in their lives, and consequently, being a part of CASA turns out to be many of these children’s favorite childhood memory.

So, this year, Kappa Alpha Theta has adopted the theme of “Childhood Memories” for KATwalk. Members of the campus community are encouraged to think back to their childhoods and bring their favorite memories to life on the runway.

KATwalk participants can enter in teams of four (and one emcee) in order to compete and convince a panel of judges that their performance is the best. According to KATwalk chair Katherine Wright, the performance will be judged on many different factors.

“The teams’ personally crafted outfits are judged based on humor, creativity, crowd involvement and charisma,” she said.

The categories will be “Childhood Cartoon,” “Childhood Pop Culture,” “What I Want to Be When I Grow Up” and “Your Cause.” Wright also mentioned that this year, a former CASA guardian and CASA child will attend the event and share their experiences with the campus.

Participants and audience members can also purchase raffle tickets for a Chinese auction with prizes from a multitude of local vendors, goodie bags and other treats.

Kappa Alpha Theta’s Service and Philanthropy Chair, Marissa Wong, said that although Kappa Alpha Theta sisters won’t be competing in the event, “sisters are changing their Facebook pictures to their favorite childhood memories to raise awareness for the event.”

Two-year KATwalk committee member Shivani Patel encourages the campus to come to KATwalk even if they aren’t going to compete. “It’s a way for the CWRU student body to come together and support a great cause” said Patel.

She insisted that there will be many highlights. According to Patel, last year, sorority Sigma Psi created a formal gown made of CD’s to compete in the “Be Green” category.

Can’t make the event? Students can still support Kappa Alpha Theta and CASA by purchasing “Cupcakes for CASA” at a bake sale to be held in Nord hall during the week of KATwalk.