About Town had a busy weekend. This weekend in particular we wanted to attend as many events as possible for a prelude to our annual “Stuck home alone on Valentine's Day” ceremony. While walking between events we grabbed a menu from every restaurant in town, and Monday night we'll look through them and figure out what we would have ordered had we gotten to go there on a date.

La Casa? Ah, si, La Casa es muy importante. La CASA ayudar por los Ninos pobrecito (y lo siento for the crappy Spanish translation)

On Saturday morning we stopped by Turning Point to attend a brunch fundraiser thrown by the Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates, also known as CASA.

CASA is an independent non-profit comprised of volunteers who are appointed by family court judges to advocate on behalf of foster children. The local chapter is one of 15 in New Jersey and functions within a national network.

According to Hudson County CASA executive director Beverly Savage, the children who most need an advocate are those who have been abused or neglected, or who have lost their parents due to incarceration, illness or immigration issues.

“All the current social ills fall on their backs,” Savage said about the foster children. She added that in the current economic climate, higher unemployment leads to more foster kids whenever parents can't maintain their homes.

“You lose your apartment, you lose your kids,” she said.

But the CASA volunteers work to make sure that foster kids don't languish in the system for too long.

Their ultimate goal involves finding permanent homes for the children. So far the Hudson County chapter has secured homes for 55 children, including 23 who were adopted, 9 who were placed with legal guardians, and 23 who were reunited with family members.

The volunteer advocates come from all walks of life and one doesn't need a legal background to help. Savage, a Hoboken resident, said that about half of CASA's local volunteers come from the Mile Square.

“We're so appreciative of people's support here,” she said.

Having to meet legal and administrative costs, the local CASA chapter sponsors several fundraising events throughout the year, such as the brunch at Turning Point. Its signature wine tasting event is open to the public and will take place on March 25 in Jersey City. In addition to offering more than 80 wines, Savage has just secured a donation from Hoboken chef Maricel Presilla, who will cater chocolate treats.

Stevens Student Athletes celebrate national girls and women in sports day

After brunch we headed over to Stevens Institute of Technology, where the athletic department sponsored a fun day for kids in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The athletic department invited kids, especially young girls, to participate in special sports clinics and games.

When About Town arrived, the kids were running a soccer themed obstacle course, and later the kids and student athletes all participated in a massive soccer ball dribbling exercise. The student athletes were very supportive, shouting "good job" and handing out high fives.

The day also featured similar events for softball, fencing and field hockey, and later the kids got free admission to see the Stevens women's basketball team play against the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Stevens women's Assistant Basketball Ccoach Bridget Catanese said that the sports clinics could help teach the kids communication and teamwork skills that they wouldn't necessarily get in a classroom.

You know Lincoln, he's the dude that did those logs and a bunch of other stuff

Finally on Sunday night we attended the sixth annual Lincoln Day Dinner sponsored by the Hoboken Republican Club.

More than 40 attendees packed the back room of Puerto Spain to eat a nice dinner and to hear remarks from guest speakers, such as The Cartel director Bob Bowdon. Hoboken School Board member Maureen Sullivan also spoke.

The headline speaker was political consultant Bill Pascoe, who has participated in several New Jersey campaigns, including the 2001 gubernatorial race. He also advised Hoboken Republican Club co-founder Nathan Brinkman's 2009 run for mayor of Hoboken.

Pascoe has had a storied career, during which he worked for the State Department and wrote a column for the Washington Times.  

After his remarks Pascoe answered questions from the audience on subjects ranging from cutting government waste, the ongoing revolution in Egypt, congressional redistricting, the tea party's impact on the Republican party, the performance of Gov. Chris Christie and whether or not President Obama is The Devil or merely just A devil.

Pascoe complimented the Hoboken Republican Club for pulling together local Republicans, long a minority in Hoboken, and letting them know that “somebody's got your back.”

“We had a packed room for the sixth straight year,” Brinkman said after the dinner. “We're trying to put out a message that resonates with people.”

Alan Skontra was a big dork who never went anywhere. Then he started writing the About Town column for Patch, and now he's everywhere. Have a hot tip on an event in Hoboken? Send an invite, questions and comments too, to alanskontra@hotmail.com.