Three receive CASA awards

CASA Kane County has awarded their Dottie Lowe Scholarship to three CASA/GAL volunteers so they can attend and benefit from the National CASA's Annual Conference in Grapevine, Texas this June.

The three volunteers who were chosen are Joyce Bowie, Gail Garrity, and Jill Bartnicki.

Bowie has been a CASA/GAL for one year and believes that participation at the upcoming conference, meeting other CASA volunteers and hearing their experiences, will give her insight and knowledge to strengthen her role as a child advocate.

Garrity was an advocate for seven years and recently returned after retiring from her position as a business manager. She hopes to gain more practical information from the workshops because she believes that learning new and different information is invaluable in her role for children.

Bartnicki is also new to CASA Kane County with one year of service under her belt. She said that she feels honored and privileged to be receiving the scholarship to attend the National CASA conference. She wants to fully immerse herself in the training and workshops and bring back the knowledge so she can share her experiences with other CASA/GAL volunteers.

The Dottie Lowe Scholarship originated with a grant from the Hanson/Furnas Electric Foundation that made a donation to CASA Kane County in memory of Dottie Lowe in 1999. After her retirement, she pursued becoming a CASA/GAL in Kane County to continue her passion for child advocacy in the community. She excelled as an assertive communicator and CASA obligations for the children she served.

Ongoing education for CASA/GAL volunteers is an important component of the program, as they are advocating for the best interests of the most vulnerable children in the community - those who have suffered abuse or neglect. After the initial grant was received from the Foundation, CASA Kane County wanted to continue this important program in Dottie Lowe's name and now budgets for two scholarships annually. The scholarship quantity increased from additional funds from the endowment to allow more volunteers and staff to attend.

This year CASA Kane County was fortunate to be able to choose three deserving CASA/GAL volunteers due to the National CASA Association offering an early registration discount.

CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates and is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that recruits, trains and supervises community volunteers who are appointed by the Juvenile Court Judge to advocate for children ages birth through 21 in the juvenile court system. CASA Kane County is a guardian ad Litem program which gives the organization more authority in the courtroom and eliminates the need for a paid GAL attorney - saving thousands of dollars annually. Last year, 258 active CASA volunteers assisted 552 children on their path to a safe and permanent home.

For more information, visit www.casakanecounty.org, or call the office at (630) 232-4484.