Tickets are now on sale for Advocates for Children of Rural Nevada's 2026 Luau, a Hawaiian-themed fundraiser set for October 10 at the Calvada Eye in Pahrump that helps pay to recruit and train volunteer advocates for local foster children. The event matters because as of March 2025, more than 30 foster children in Nye and Esmeralda counties had no assigned volunteer advocate, underscoring the need to recruit and train volunteers.
ACORN Executive Director Kathie McKenna said tickets for the 2026 Luau are now on sale, according to the Pahrump Valley Times. The nonprofit relies on donations and grants and receives no county funding, and the Luau and its sister event, the Crab Fest, help support its mission. Individual tickets run $50 per person, with an Aloha sponsorship priced at $450 for a table of six, a half-page program ad and mention in event promotions, or an Ohana sponsorship at $650 for a table of eight and a full-page ad. Sponsorship commitments are due by September 30.
What the Evening Includes
The Luau will feature a buffet-style Hawaiian feast catered by Da Bruddah's Grindz, along with Hawaiian desserts and cocktails served by the Ladies of the Wine Down. Na Hula Hali'a Aloha Cultural Preservation will run Hawaiian-inspired cultural activities and games starting at 4 p.m. on October 10, followed by a 45-minute luau show featuring hula and Hawaiian music. The night also includes a live auction conducted by Estate 411, plus 50/50 raffles and pick-a-prize raffles, per the report.
ACORN is also selling tickets for a separate Hawaii Vacation Raffle, with a top prize of a one-week stay at the Ali'i Kai Resort in Princeville on Kauai plus $1,500 in cash; the second-place prize is $500 cash. Tickets cost $50 each, are capped at 350, and are available at the ACORN office or at the Luau itself. The drawing will take place at the Crab Fest on February 7, 2027, and winners do not need to be present to claim their prize, though the Hawaii vacation must be used by the end of 2027.
Why Advocates Are in Short Supply
ACORN provides volunteer guardian ad litem advocates for children removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect, with those volunteers focused specifically on the child's needs in the court process. Under Nevada Revised Statute 432B.500, state courts are required to appoint a guardian ad litem or special advocate to represent a child's best interests once that child is found to need protection in an abuse or neglect case, according to the Nevada Legislature. ACORN advocates focus on the child's needs in the court process.
A December 2024 report from Pahrump Valley Community News covered ACORN's mission to support foster children in rural Nevada.
The shortage in Nye and Esmeralda counties reflects a larger statewide pattern. The Nevada CASA Association reports that more than 4,000 children are in Nevada's foster care system on any given day, with an average stay of 13.8 months, but only 708 CASA volunteers exist statewide to represent 1,274 children — leaving roughly 3,500 foster children without a dedicated advocate. Nevada ranked 47th overall among U.S. states in child well-being in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, according to the Children's Advocacy Alliance of Nevada, a ranking tied to persistent statewide gaps in economic stability and health support.
From CASA to ACORN
The organization now known as ACORN was formerly Pioneer Territory Court Appointed Special Advocates. In an announcement dated March 15, 2023, the organization said it had changed its name to ACORN and was not affiliated with National CASA. ACORN now operates under the umbrella of the Nevada Outreach Training Organization.
ACORN also holds a Crab Fest.
Those looking to support ACORN can also donate money or contribute items for the auction and raffles. The ACORN office is located at 621 S. Blagg Road, and the organization can be reached by phone at 775-505-2272 or by email at [email protected].
