Porky, a black four-pound pot-bellied pig, slipped some tongue to contestants at the “14th Annual Kiss the Pig” contest, where three community leaders competed to raise money for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), and force other contestants to “kiss the pig” at Farmers’ Market last Thursday.
Carol Thom and Stacey Stanek of the Thom Group, Investment and Insurance Group, raised $9,600 in community donations for CASA, and, consequently, gained the power of the pig.
This was the fourth “Kiss the Pig” win for the mother and daughter team.
Instead of simply giving Porky a peck or assigning the duty to one of the other contestants, Thom ordered all participants to kiss the pig, starting the trend herself.
“Hey baby,” Thom said as she approached Porky, bending down to give the animal a kiss, which she described as “sloppy.”
But not as sloppy as Andy’s of the Goodtime Gang, Cat Country 96, who said he got some tongue. Chad, Andy’s Goodtime Gang and “Kiss the Pig” partner, instead opted to smooch Porky’s backside.
Julian Herrera, of Continental Labor and Staffing Resources, made the third candidate.
The contestants raised a total of $19,000 for the non-profit organization, which will be used to recruit, train and support volunteers, CASA Resource Development Manager Cathy Orton said.
CASA volunteers are enlisted to befriend children in the San Luis Obispo county court system, and to make a “full inventory of the child’s circumstances,” Orton said. This includes talking to a child’s neighbors, principal, therapist, or anyone else involved with the child.
The volunteers are also trained to make recommendations to juvenile court if necessary.
Orton hopes the “Kiss the Pig” event will not only bring in more money for the organization, but more volunteers as well.
CASA is currently serving approximately 200 children, but there are still about 300 children in San Luis Obispo who need a CASA volunteer right now, Orton said.
The organization currently employs 111 active volunteers, who typically work with one child. However, volunteers will sometimes work with a group of siblings if necessary.
Although none of the “Kiss the Pig” candidates work directly with children through CASA, “when they do fundraising they become a different kind of volunteer,” Orton said.
Thom and Stanek are on CASA’s guild, while Herrera is a board member.
For more information about CASA or volunteering, visit www.slocasa.org.