Meetings aimed at potential CASA volunteers

CASA Kane County will hold general information meetings for individuals interested in becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer for abused and neglected children. If you are at least 21 years old and want to learn more, RSVP to Sarah Baxa at sbaxa@casakanecounty.org to attend one of the meetings.

Evening information sessions will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, March 18 and April 8, at Graham's 318, 318 Third St., Geneva.

Daytime sessions will be offered in the CASA offices in the historic Kane County Courthouse, 100 S. Third St., Suite 460, in Geneva. Those sessions will be from 9 to 10 a.m. Mondays, March 3, 17, 31 and April 14 and 28; 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Thursdays, March 13, 27, April 17 and May 1; and 11 a.m. to noon Fridays, March 7, 21, April 4, 18, and May 2.

CASA Kane County also offers special recruitment meetings that are targeted to men interested in volunteering. These meetings will be held as follows:

• 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, at Pal Joey's, 31 N. River St., Batavia;

• 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, at Two Brothers Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway St., Aurora;

• 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, at Elgin Public House, 219 E. Chicago St., Elgin;

• 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at Even Flow, 302 W. State St., Geneva.

Currently, only about 23 percent of CASA volunteers are men, but more than half of the organization's caseload involves boys and young men in need of strong role models.

CASA volunteers must first complete 40 hours of training before being sworn in by the juvenile court judge. All training is provided by CASA Kane County.

CASA Kane County is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the juvenile court system. Last year, the organization's 258 active CASA/GAL volunteers provided advocacy to 552 children throughout the Kane County area.

To learn more, visit www.casakanecounty.org.