Lake County Court Swears in Ten New CASA Volunteers to Advocate for Foster Children

Since the start of the pandemic, Lake County has seen a surge of child victims of abuse and neglect far greater than other metropolitan Chicago counties. To help protect these children as they enter the juvenile justice system, CASA Lake County has stepped up its recruiting efforts for volunteers. This month, ten new volunteers completed their training and were sworn in by the Lake County Juvenile as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs).

The new advocates include Hilary Saurer and Nicole Hinckley, of Highland Park; Amy Russo, of Vernon Hills; Jill Doppelt, of Riverwoods, Christine Berek, of Grayslake; Siovhan Blau, of Lindenhurst; Jillian Giovannetti, of Libertyville; Emma Visee, of Arlington Heights; Nadine Montcalm, of Mount Prospect, and Denise Heimlich (a returning CASA volunteer), of Northbrook. They join a force of nearly 300 volunteer advocates who work as representatives of CASA Lake County to protect children involved in Lake County Juvenile Court proceedings. Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Judge Christopher B. Morozin presided over the online induction ceremony on January 21, 2021. Judge Jorge Ortiz, who has been assigned to fill the seat of recently retired Judge Valerie Czeckowski, also participated in the ceremony.

"CASA volunteers are needed now more than ever," said Terri Zenner Greenberg, Executive Director of CASA Lake County. "Since the start of the pandemic, more children are entering protective care than ever before. Every Lake County agency that works with children in foster care is overwhelmed. For the first time in decades, our program has nearly 100 children on our waiting list for volunteer assignments. We need many more people who can help us with our work."

Lake County has experienced an unprecedented rise in new abuse and neglect cases before the Juvenile Court. The rate of new cases has increased by two to three times the rate from just a few years prior, causing the number of active cases to rise by more than 50% over the same time frame. This has exceeded the capacity of already thinly-stretched child welfare agencies and programs.

CASA volunteers perform a valuable service to more than 550 children in Lake County. Most of the children are in foster care. The goal of a CASA is to help move kids efficiently through the court system into safe, permanent homes where they will have an opportunity to thrive.

CASA volunteers must successfully complete an in-depth, 40-hour training program. The program prepares them to help ensure that the best interests of children are being served and that juvenile court judges are aware of all issues that impact those interests. In recent months, the training has been conducted online.

"The current public health crisis is exacerbating existing problems in family relationships and stability, and has made many already difficult situations worse. Providing CASA services today is more important than ever, and we need more volunteers who can help us make a difference," said Ms. Greenberg.

Anyone interested in volunteering with CASA Lake County, please contact Debra Lerner-Schmidt at dlernerschmidt@casalakecounty.com.

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