Make a difference this Mother’s Day. Shop for gifts at smile.amazon.com/ch/37-1258936 to generate donations for Advocacy Network for Children and check out the AmazonSmile Charity Lists to donate items to Mom’s in need.

Advocacy Network for Children announces several upcoming informational meetings for individuals interested in becoming a CASA volunteer.

Advocacy Network for Children provides CASA services in Adams, Hancock, Pike, Brown, Schuyler, Cass and Morgan Counties in west central Illinois.

The informational meetings will all be held on Thursdays via Zoom at 5:30 p.m. Dates are May 20th, June 17th, July 15th and August 19th. Interested individuals can choose which informational meeting they would like to attend. The meetings should last approximately 30 minutes.

A multi-county training will be held via Zoom on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. beginning September 7th through September 30th.

CASA volunteers are desperately needed in all seven counties served by the agency.

The training course prepares volunteers to be the best advocates with a four week, 30-hour curriculum which covers topics such as The Well-Being of the Child; Trauma, Resilience and Communication Skills; Mental Health; Poverty and Professional Communication; and Substance Abuse and Cultural Competence to name a few. No special background is required to become a CASA volunteer. The first step is to attend one of the 30-minute informational sessions. For more information, please contact Danielle Buss, CASA Manager, at 217-223-2272 or dbuss@advonet.org.

Use the following link to attend the Zoom meetings at 5:30 p.m. on May 20th, June 17th, July 15th and August 19th.

CASA Zoom Information Meeting

In the last month and a half, we’ve seen first hand your support, your generosity and how you’ve chosen to take a Stand Against Child Abuse!

Thank you for your participation and thank you for helping us to raise much needed funds so we can continue providing essential services in our nine county service area.

Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month is important for many reasons. Helping children right away is a primary concern and another important aspect of discussing Child Abuse is that adults that were abused as children can feel supported when and if they choose to disclose, knowing that they are not alone. About 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused by their 18th birthday and the average age at the time of reporting child sex abuse is about 52 years.

We are so grateful to be in a position to help today’s abused children and to provide comfort and guidance to generations of children from the past who are finding their voice, disclosing and able to begin their own healing.

Thank you again!