With all headlines lately about domestic abuse and child abuse scandals in the NFL, you might be wondering what you can do in Kane County to help end or mitigate abuse in our hometowns. The city of St. Charles and retailers in that community are doing what they can to help addresses the issue of child abuse here in Kane County with an event called “CASAtober.”

CASAtober is part of CASA Kane County’s “Partnerships with a Purpose” program, in which a company, organization or individual holds a promotion, event or sale to benefit CASA’s child advocacy program.

City of St. Charles employees will be holding a special initiative to benefit CASA Kane County, as employees pay $6 each Friday for the privilege of wearing jeans.

To close out the month, a bake sale will be held on Oct. 31. at the Public Works building from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and then at City Hall from 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. with a raffle for prizes of theatre tickets, gift baskets and more. Donation boxes will also be available at city buildings and the city is encouraging all residents of St. Charles to get involved.

Lori Hewitt, director of development for CASA Kane County, was aware of the city’s jeans day give-back program, and so asked the city to consider making this a month-long event to get residents involved and support the mission of CASA.

“This is not just about the money raised for our organization, but also about creating awareness for the children we are privileged to serve,” Hewitt said.

Lynn Creedon, benefits coordinator for the city, brought the idea to the committee that handles the jeans day and all agreed on the idea.

In addition to the city’s contribution, the Arcada, Steele Beam Theatre and Fox Valley Repertory donated tickets to the raffle; Blue Goose will be selling raffle tickets to win Blue Goose gift certificates and has graciously donated a sheet cake for the bake sale; the St. Charles Park District donated a basket for the raffle and will also be collecting donations of hats and mittens for the children at each of their locations; and JP Jewelers will also be selling raffle tickets for three beautiful necklaces with a birthstone.

Tickets will be sold all month, and three winners will be chosen on Friday, Oct. 31. The money donated will be put toward the recruitment, training and supervision of community volunteers who serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates/ Guardians ad Litem (CASA/GAL) for children who are in court due to abuse and neglect.

You can help by stopping by the city of St. Charles, buying raffle tickets at Blue Goose and JP Jewelers or visiting the St. Charles Park District to drop off hats and mittens during the month of October.

“Partnering with local community merchants and businesses is what this program is all about,” stated Hewitt from CASA. “It is amazing how the community will get involved to help us continue advocating for our youth.” CASA Kane County is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the Juvenile Court system and has been advocating for these children since 1988.

In 2013, the program’s 258 volunteers served 552 children throughout Kane County.

Businesses interested in partnering with CASA should contact Director of Development Lori Hewitt at (630) 444-3107. To learn more about the CASA Kane County program, please visit www.casakanecounty.org.

How to Help

Click this link to make a donation.

Matching Gifts

Many companies encourage employees to donate to their favorite charities by matching their contributions at a specified ratio.  To find out if your company matches gifts you can Click Here to search the database of matching gift companies, or contact your human resources department and obtain the form.  If you send in your donation, please include the form, and we can fill it out and send it in for you.  Many companies also match gifts from retired employees, spouses, and board members!

Host a Fundraiser at your Business or Service

Many organizations choose to host their own fundraising events and donate the proceeds to CASA Kane County. Events that have been held in the past include car washes, jeans days (employees pay a fee to wear jeans), fashion shows, and cocktails for a cause (a party with your friends and ask them to provide a monetary donation, gift card, or item for a themed basket to raffle or auction). For more information about hosting these types of events, please contact Lori Hewitt at 630-444-3107 or lorigh@casakanecounty.org.

SOURCE: CASA Kane County press release