CASA raises more than $300,000 to help abused children

CASA Lake County netted nearly $100,000 at two golf tournaments held June 15 and 22 at Kemper Lakes Golf course, with 194 golfers participating. Earlier this year on May 2, the abused children's advocacy organization netted $230,000 at a gala held on the grounds of the Ravinia Music Festival.

Main sponsors for golf were Aon for the first outing and CDW at the second. The major corporate sponsors for the May gala were AbbVie, Aon, Baxter, ITW, Grotefeld Hoffman, Lundbeck and Stericycle.

Golf winners the first week were Steve Marchi of Palatine, Craig Takaoka of Deerfield, and Andy Lee and Keith Fiantago both of Crystal Lake. The second week winners were golfer Mark Melillo from Westmont, Chad Talley from Valparaiso, and Rob Werhman and Chris Wagner, both Elmhurst residents.

International celebrity chef Art Smith and husband Jesus Salgueiro were honored with the Terri Zenner Award, the highest given by CASA Lake County. The two were recognized for their contributions to children and community, exemplified by their work in support of many regional child services agencies and through their own adoption of four former CASA children.

A successful auction at the dinner dance included trips to faraway places such as Bermuda, Mexico and Bali. Chef Smith promised two dinner parties for 10 people and business leader Marcus Lemonis, host of the television program "The Profit," will spend an afternoon with the winner.

All of the funds raised for CASA will go to the mission of providing volunteer advocates for abused and neglected children. About 90 percent of event revenue goes directly into programs benefiting children. Last year 312 CASA Lake County volunteer advocates served 558 young people.

One of them, Juliette McAuly, a nursing student, who earlier in her life had a CASA volunteer assigned to her, presented an emotional speech about her experiences as a child, and the impact that her CASA's unwavering support had on her life.

For more information about CASA and how to become an advocate for defenseless children in need, call Mari Christopherson at (847) 383-6260, ext. 217. She said that, sadly, children enter the child welfare system every day, and there is an ongoing need for volunteers to serve those children.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Lake County, Vernon Hills, is a nonprofit organization committed to acquiring, training and supervising volunteer advocates to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children in the juvenile justice system. Research shows that a child with a CASA volunteer advocate is less likely to experience further abuse; moves more rapidly through the court system; stays an average of 10 months less in foster care; and is more likely to be adopted into a safe and permanent home.