|
 CASA of DuPage County is holding its Superheroes Golf Outing
on Monday, May 24th 2010 at the
Arrowhead
Golf Club
26w151 Butterfield Rd.
Wheaton, IL 60189
630-653-5800
(download
pdf of full registration materials)
CASA of DuPage County Inc. is located in the DuPage County
Judicial Center in Wheaton, but we serve all 45 towns in
DuPage County. CASA is an acronym for Court Appointed Special
Advocates. Court Appointed Special Advocates are volunteers
who are trained and supported by paid CASA staff to monitor
court cases of children from birth to twenty-one years of
age, who have been adjudicated as abused, neglected and/or
dependent. By way of a formal court order, trained volunteer
advocates are assigned to observe a child's case through
its duration (normally 18 months to 3 years). Advocates
voluntarily follow the cases and report their findings to
juvenile court judges through objective, fact-based written
reports which provide information about the child’s
life, foster placement, stress in the family, any medical
ailments and educational needs. This knowledge serves to
better inform the judges who are then able to make educated
decisions about each child's placement, treatment needs
and permanency in a timelier manner.
In fiscal year 2009, CASA of DuPage County was appointed
to a record high number of 338 abuse and neglect cases originating
within the DuPage County juvenile court system. CASA trained
51 community volunteers last fiscal year bringing the total
of trained advocates up to 156 strong. CASA of DuPage is
highly regarded by the judges involved and is appointed
to 100% of the abuse and neglect cases entering the juvenile
court system. CASA continuously and diligently strives to
cultivate and maintain these cooperative and collaborative
relationships. CASA’s work with the circuit court
judges, DCFS case workers, attorneys, educators, and community
agencies brings an in-depth awareness and a fresh perspective
to the assigned cases. Since CASA of DuPage County’s
inception, 638 local citizens have been trained to advocate
on behalf of 1,159 children in this community.
Studies have shown CASA volunteers to be effective in reducing
court costs, reducing stays in foster care and even in reducing
rates of delinquency. A study conducted by the National
CASA Association showed that children with a CASA volunteer
spent approximately one year less in care than a child without
a CASA resulting in a child finding a safe, loving and permanent
home more quickly. All of these efforts are provided at
no charge to the families or taxpayers in DuPage County.
While there are CASA programs in all states, Illinois is
one of seven states that does not support the CASA organizations
with federal money. That said, CASA of DuPage County is
100% dependent on fundraising, grants and individual donations.
There are 102 counties in the state of Illinois with only
38 of them having a CASA program. Current numbers reflect
that only 19% of abused and neglected children in Illinois
are receiving assistance via a CASA, but 100% of the children
in DuPage County receive this critical representation.
The serious work that CASA of DuPage performs each and
every day on behalf of all neglected and abused children
in DuPage County flies under the radar of the majority of
the residents in our local communities. The average person
will never need or hear about our organization or our very
important role in the community. As we like to say at CASA,
we are not looking for more clients, we are looking for
more friends, because powerless children need powerful friends.
Visit CASA's website
for more information. |
|
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could
benefit from charitable
services please contact us. |
