CASA KANE COUNTY FALL 2014

100 S. Third Street, Suite 460, Geneva, IL 60134 P: 630-232-4484 F: 630-232-4562 www.casakanecounty.org

CASA Child Shares her Inspirational Story

CASA Kane

County hosted its

fourth annual Super

Heroes Breakfast on

October 2nd, with

nearly 400 people in

attendance. This

event helps inform

the public about the

increasing need for

child advocacy in our

community.

This year we invited a CASA child to speak

about her journey and share the times she had

growing up in several different foster homes.

CiCi spoke from the heart

and told us,

“I was so scared and wor-

ried about what would

happen to me and my big

sister” and how the only

constant in her life was her

CASA/GAL, Gloria L. The

duo shared a touching story

about their journey together

Jewell & Randy Meridith

Thank You to our Mission Partners!

Board of Directors

Mike Frasier, Chair The Wine Exchange

Kevin O’Donnell, Vice Chair

O’Donnell Commercial Real Estate

Carl Schoedel, Secretary Kane County Division of Transportation

Mike Kwiatkowski, Treasurer Retirement Solutions, Inc.

David Bird DuPage Airport Authority

Gloria Bunce CASA Executive Director

Steve Collins Wight & Company

Tom Detelich Grandview Capital, LLC

Dan Dolan Dolan & Murphy, Inc.

Carlie Dunteman SomerCor 504 Inc.

Tamra Domeyer

Exelon Generation

Jennifer Paganessi-Fisher Howard & Howard

Roly Orama

Chubb Group of Insurance Companies

Mari Pierce AlphaGraphics - St. Charles

Jerry Rose Total Living International

Jackie Rosenfeldt

Grant Thornton, LLP

Jim Schaechter UPS

Fred Schramm

Schramm Construction Corporation

Mike Trimarco

St. Charles Bank and Trust

Continued on Page 6

Continued on Page 7

Doris Hunt

Golfers Celebrate

For Children

The storms held off for the 280 golfers who

participated in CASA Kane County's 11th Annu-

al Golf for a Child Invitational on August 25th at

the St. Charles and Royal Fox Country Clubs.

CASA Kane County honored Bob Stell of St.

Charles for his continued support of our organi-

zation and the Grow a Healthy Child Garden.

over nearly five years of multiple foster

homes, none of which provided CiCi with the

stability and permanency that she craved. Her

CASA/GAL was always by her side, through

endless court appearances, phone calls and

visitations.

As CiCi stated “I had no idea that my

CASA Gloria did not get paid for the

work she had done” and she believes

“every child should have a CASA

worker.” Luke Slawek of FONA

Event Co-Chair

Sheriff Pat Perez with

Rick Guzman, City of Aurora

CiCi and CASA/GAL Gloria

The Voice www.casakanecounty.org

Letter from the Executive Director

I hope you had a chance to enjoy the colors of the changing leaves as

we move into this upcoming holiday season. As I say that, I am reminded

of many of our foster youth who do not have the luxury of a loving family

or relatives to enjoy the things we can take for granted. Fortunately, our

children have a CASA/GAL volunteer that cares for their well-being and

helps them find the permanency they deserve, so they too, can share these

special times with loved ones.

For a moment I will reflect on what we have been able to accomplish

this year and what lies ahead for us in the last quarter of 2014. We’ve already exceeded the

highest number of children served in both courts and I am fearful of many more. Although this

is not good news, we are fortunate that with your support and resources, CASA Kane County

will be able to maintain that 100% of children who need one are appointed a CASA/GAL vol-

unteer. This is so important as the benefits of having that caring and committed person by their

side is immeasurable. CASA Kane County was able to launch its Legacy Friends program with

a new video and event held at the home of one of our founders, Mrs. Doris Hunt. We also held

our largest Auction and Golf events with more people in attendance than ever before. In April,

our Fund a Child initiative began by asking our Board leadership to create giving pages and

help us fund one child at a time.

As we embark on the last quarter of this year with rising caseloads of vulnerable children to

care for, I want you to know that we are doing everything we can to ensure that our program

will provide the valuable one-on-one advocacy that our children deserve. Our CASA/GAL vol-

unteers, committee members, donors and staff all make a tremendous team with so many turns

and twists, but the most important thing we do is champion for our children and provide suc-

cessful outcomes that last a lifetime.

Thank you for continuing to believe in the CASA Kane County organization, our judiciary

and the children who need us the most!

Gloria Bunce

Executive Director

Fall 2014 2

Chairman’s

Advisory Panel

Dan Dolan, Co-Chair Luke Slawek, Co-Chair Kaleen Barbera David Bird Dr. Ileana Brooks Erin Brown-Carter Jim Chakires Ryan Corcoran Carlie Dunteman Anton Engelmann Gary Hansberger Larry Hayes Jonathan Hylton Pat Kelsey Mark Klaisner Robert Landrum Paul Lencioni Michael Moore Dave Ott Pat Perez Martin Pierce Jim Plonczynski Jeffrey Robinson Zaida Rodriguez Dan Ross Vicky Rullo Bob Runke Brad Urhausen Ed Werneke

Current Staff

Gloria Bunce Executive Director

Sarah Baxa Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator

Lauren Egan Development & Event Coordinator

Marilyn Ellefsen Database Specialist

Kim Flad Advocate Supervisor

Amy Girardot Director of Advocate Supervision Lori Hewitt Director of Development

Julie Hipp Stewardship Coordinator

Barb Kleinow Executive Office Administrator

Cathy McCoy Advocate Supervisor

Jocelyn McMahan Advocate Supervisor

Deb McQuaid Director of Advocate Education

Candy Miller Advocate Supervisor

Vicki Shaw Director of Advancement

Kelly Vatianou Advocate Supervisor

“There are those whose lives affect all others

around them. Quietly touching one heart, who

in turn, touches another. Reaching out to ends

further than they would ever know.”

~ William Bradfield

Welcome Judge Parkhurst!

CASA Kane County welcomes Judge William Parkhurst as the new Judge

presiding over Abuse/Neglect cases in Juvenile Court. He served in the Aurora

Branch court, after practicing family law. As a practitioner, he represented

CASA in pro bono cases and appeared before the Abuse and Neglect court as an

adoption attorney. He and his wife Julie have been married for 25 years, and

have four children.

Judge Parkhurst has been a consistent supporter of CASA Kane County say-

ing that CASA is “a great organization doing important work.”

3 The Voice www.casakanecounty.org

Thank you to the newest sworn-in volunteers who

are making better lives for our most vulnerable chil-

dren!

To meet the growing need of children entering the

16th Kane County Judicial Court system, CASA

Kane County needed to train more advocates to en-

sure that 100% of children continue to receive a vol-

unteer who is looking out for their best interests.

CASA Kane County has already served

more children in 2014 than last year, which

equates to the highest number of children served in

its 26 year history.

Congratulations! Amanda Boenzi

Dudley Burgess

Marissa Chapman

Kim Flad

Alison France

Pam Gonzales

Maureen Jakubowski

Jerry Jania

Sandra King

Dave LaBash

Karly Mannia

Lori McCaffrey

Aracelli Mendez

Gerrit Nagarwalla

Stephanie Nagarwalla

Jeff Otterby

Jen Otterby

Mike Pedersen

Chris Potkanowicz

Roger Rathjen

Michelle Sturgill

James Sweet

Dana Teichart

Yesenia Varela

Gabriel Velez

Patricia Wisz

CASA Trains Largest Class Ever!

Meet our new

Board President Mike Frasier was elected as the Board Chair of CASA Kane County in May of 2014. Mike is the owner of the Wine Exchange in downtown St. Charles. He grew up in Northern California and after his retirement from Sears, he turned his passion for wine into a suc-cessful business and shares his knowledge with others. We are fortunate to have Mike’s professional experience and personal support to further the mis-sion of CASA Kane County.

Welcome New

Advocate Supervisors

Kim Flad also joined us as a new Advocate Supervisor with a BSW from Aurora University and more than 20 years of experience working in the field of social ser-vices. She and her husband reside in St. Charles and were previously licensed foster parents for five years and opened their home to more than 30 at-risk teens.

Kelly Vatianou joined us as a new Advocate Supervisor with nearly 10 years of child welfare agency experience. She graduated with a Master of Social Work

from Aurora University and is a resident of Batavia. She is currently working on obtaining her LCSW. (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).

These cases last only one to three

months, but the information provided

to the Judge is invaluable in making an

informed decision regarding the

child’s future.

This year, CASA Kane County has

provided an advocate to more than 109

children involving private guardian-

ship cases.

If you are not already aware, CASA

is involved in Probate court with private

guardianship petitions which do not

involve the Department of Children and

Family Service (DCFS).

CASA has been providing this valu-

able service to the Probate Court Judge

in Kane County since 2004 and was the

first CASA program to do so in the na-

tion.

The Judge relies upon the CASA to

provide information about the petition-

ing guardian’s home and lifestyle.

They do this by visiting with the minor,

interviewing parents and other relevant

parties, and submitting a written report

to the court with the facts of each case.

Did You Know That Minors in Probate Court

Receive a CASA/GAL Advocate?

Fall 2014 4

Be Inspired by CASA Kane County’s Bridge Builders

CASA has given me, a very ordinary per-

son, the blessed opportunity to speak up

for a child, and I know that because of

CASA, children will have hope!

~ Doris Hunt

For more information, please contact

Vicki Shaw at 630-444-3100 or

vickis@casakanecounty.org.

Thanks to CASA/GAL volunteer,

Jim L’Allier, CASA Kane County now

has a professionally produced video

where three individuals whose lives

have been touched by this organiza-

tion, tell their story and reasons they

chose to leave their legacy for CASA.

View the video at this website:

https://vimeo.com/100164188

A young man set out on a life-long

journey to cross a deep chasm filled with

many dangerous obstacles. He skillfully

crossed boiling white-water rapids--

avoided deadly whirlpools, and traversed

a raging waterfall. After many years, he

finally reached the other side of the

chasm.

He was now an old man and his jour-

ney was almost over. But then he started

to build a bridge back to the other side. A

puzzled fellow traveler said to him, “Old

man you will never pass this way again.

Why waste your strength building this

bridge?”

The old man said, “Just before I en-

tered the chasm I noticed a young child on

the path. The dangers that I faced may

prove fatal to one so young. So, good

friend, I am building this bridge for him.”

~“The Bridgebuilders”

Thanks to the Gordon

Flesch Foundation, children

will receive their very own

“Lifebook.”

This keepsake memory

book helps children in the

foster care system record their

memories and life events.

Every Child Deserves A Keepsake for Their

Memories

CASA Continues to Achieve

Positive Outcomes for Children!

72% of Probate cases closed in

60 days or less. Goal: 90%

91% of CASA volunteers were

retained. Goal: 85%

24% of active CASA volunteers

were men, 11% were minorities,

and 12% were bilingual.

Goals: 25% male, 10% minority,

15% bilingual

100% of children did not

experience re-abuse. Goal: 100%

76% of children in Abuse/Neglect

Court have resided in two or fewer

placements. Goal: 75%

94% of children had no change in

their CASA/GAL volunteer.

Goal: 90%

97% of children in Probate Court

resided in two or fewer placements.

Goal: 95%

68% of Abuse/Neglect cases closed

in 36 months or less with

permanency outcomes.

Goal: 75%

CASA Kane County’s 2014 - 3rd Quarter Outcomes

5 The Voice www.casakanecounty.org

Child Abuse and the Growing Brain - Fall Conference Focus

As one CASA stated:

"“I understand so much more

what is going on in these

kids’ brains after the work-

shop—impulsiveness, with-

drawal, etc. Really every par-

ent should know this—thanks

to CASA for putting such rel-

evant workshops together.

It’s worth taking a day off of

work to attend!" CASA Kane County would like to

give special thanks to the generous

sponsors of this event that is held an-

nually to provide in-service credits to

our CASA/GAL volunteers so we can

maintain our accreditation with the

National CASA organization.

On September 12, more than 300

attendees joined CASA Kane County

and local community agencies at our

Annual Fall Conference. Speaker Frank

Kros from the Upside Down Organiza-

tion presented an astonishing look at the

brain of traumatized children and its

long-term impact.

Survey results from the conference

reflected overwhelmingly positive feed-

back.

There’s something

about knowing that you made

a difference in a child’s life

that is more fulfilling than

anything else in this world.

~ Jimmy Wayne

Please Join Us for a Wonderful Evening to Support Children!

Sponsorships, program ads and raffle tickets are available.

Visit www.casakanecounty.org for regular updates!

Contact Lori Hewitt, Director of Development at 630-444-3107 or lorigh@casakanecounty.org

After sharing intimate stories of her

life’s struggles, CiCi was proud to

tell the crowd that she has turned

her life around with the support of

her CASA/GAL.

Fall 2014 6

She has her own apartment, stable

employment and is attending nursing

school. Cici also dreams of helping the

less fortunate by using her nursing de-

gree and giving back to the community.

The large audience was welcomed by

co-chairs, Dan Dolan and Luke Slawek,

who both talked about the growing need

for support of these children in our com-

munity.

Gloria Bunce spoke about the chal-

lenges that face our CASA volunteers

and the staggering number of abuse and

neglect cases in CASA Kane County.

When talking about the initial move-

ment in forming CASA, she spoke about

how a specially trained volunteer makes

all the difference.

Super Heroes Breakfast Continued From Page 1...

The audience chuckled at Luke

Slawek’s closing remarks about how

CASA “doesn’t run on hugs and rain-

bows” and any support they could pro-

vide by volunteering, donating or con-

necting to CASA would be greatly

appreciated.

Another bench was purchased in

memory of the Honorable Gene Not-

tolini, a Judge who touched many

lives and was a strong supporter of

CASA Kane County.

Chief Judge Judy Brawka led a

beautiful dedication ceremony for the

bench purchased by members of the

Kane County Judiciary and friends of

the family.

Both benches sit in CASA Kane

County’s Grow a Healthy Child Gar-

den at the entrance of the historic

courthouse in Geneva.

The garden proceeds are added to

Gail and Paul Dart recently pur-

chased a bench in honor of her mother

who was a Chicago Public School

teacher for 30 years. As a resident of

Geneva, Gail was simply biking by the

courthouse and stumbled upon CASA’s

Grow a Healthy Child Garden and it

peaked her interest. She thought it

would be the perfect spot to memorial-

ize her mother.

“My mother loved children and

would have loved this spot for the

bench. It was something I wanted to do

in memory of all her work with kids.”

New Garden Benches In Memory of Loved Ones

Mike Frasier Board Chair, Gloria Bunce

Executive Director and Guest Mary Weibler

CiCi, Gloria, Candy Miller, and Mary Slawek

Chief Judge Judith M. Brawka

Gail & Paul Dart sitting on their honorary bench.

CASA Kane County’s endowment

fund that will help ensure we have

the ongoing financial resources

needed to continue serving the most

vulnerable youth in our community.

For more information, please

contact Vicki Shaw at

630-444-3100 or

vickis@casakanecounty.org

7 The Voice www.casakanecounty.org

Honorary Chair Gary Hans-

berger and Committee Co-Chairs,

Kevin O’Donnell and Carl

Schoedel invite you to reserve your

spot for next year early, as the

event sells out fast!

Please save the date

August 24, 2015 for next year’s event!

Contact Lori Hewitt at

630-444-3107 or

lorigh@casakanecounty.org

to reserve your spot now!

Golf Outing...continued from page 1

Golfers played at St. Charles and

Royal Fox Country Clubs and ended

the evening with a dinner and inspira-

tional video from one of our own

CASA children.

Find Your Place

Make a Difference Every year around this time, we are asked about giving options for CASA

Kane County. As a friend of CASA, you have the unique opportunity to help a

child have a holiday season filled with hope and bright beginnings for the New

Year.

Ways to support our program: Collect new suitcases or gift cards for children in foster care

Attend a CASA event - the Gala or the Golf Outing

Inquire if your company has a matching gift program

Make a donation

(It costs CASA Kane County $2,000 annually to serve one child)

Host a Fundraiser or Sell Raffle Tickets

If you would like to

Find Your Place and

Make a Difference for

CASA Kane County, please

contact us at 630-232-4484

or visit our website at

www.casakanecounty.org

CASA Kane County Fox Valley KIDS Marathon

Thank You to Our 2014 Community Partners!

Fox Valley Marathon City of St. Charles Batavia Women’s Club Jeans and a Cute Top Chubb Insurance Villa Verone Wildwood Jane Pabon The Party Kitchen Cocoon, Ltd Potbelly Firehouse Pizza & Grill Francesca’s by the River Blue Goose Market Presence St. Joseph Hospital Provena St. Joseph Hospital Old Towne Pub Liquor ‘n Wine JP Jewelers

CASA Kane County Fox Valley KIDS Marathon

CASA Kane County is a nonprofit, volunteer organization

that advocates for the best interests of abused and

neglected children within the Juvenile Court system.

Non-Profit Org

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit #689

St. Charles, IL

100 S. Third Street, Suite 460 Geneva, IL 60134

P: 630-232-4484 F: 630-232-4562 www.casakanecounty.org

Interested in Learning More About Becoming a

CASA Volunteer?

Join us at one of our General Information Meetings!

CASA Kane County Office, 100 S. Third St Geneva:

Mondays, December 1, 8 and 15

January 5 and 12 11:00 a.m. – Noon

Wednesdays, December 3, 10 and 17

January 7 and 14

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Thursdays, December 11 and 18

January 8 and 15

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Fridays, December 12 and 19

January 9 and 16

11:00 a.m. – Noon

Graham’s 318, 318 Third St Geneva:

Tuesdays, December 16

January 6 and 20

6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Please contact Deb McQuaid at 630-444-3110 or

debm@casakanecounty.org for more information!

Save the Dates

in 2014-2015!

Breakfast with Santa

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Children’s Champion Celebration

Black & White Diamond Ball Saturday, March 7, 2015

Contact Lori Hewitt at

630-444-3107 or lorigh@casakanecounty.org

For More Information!