(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — In Kane County, there's a call for volunteers to help make a difference for children in need.
"CASA Kane County helps children who have been victims of abuse or neglect, and our goal is to help one child at a time to change their story,” says Jim Di Ciaula, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA Kane County.
"When they're in a house where they may have experienced abuse or neglect, their childhood is dramatically impacted by what their experiences are," he said. "It's an opportunity to change a child's trajectory and their life.”
But Di Ciaula said a decline in volunteers and an increase in cases is driving the need for more Kane County residents to step up and become Difference Makers, themselves.
"Come fall, unfortunately, when the children come back to school, we generally see a rise in cases," he said. "They've been home all summer and teachers, therapists and nurses are well trained in looking for situations.”
CASA expects to serve more than 600 children in need in 2022, and numbers have shown that those children are more likely to do better in school, have greater access to medical and mental health professionals and find a permanent home.
"They will go through a lot of change," Di Ciaula said. "They may transfer from foster home from foster home, family care to family care or school to school. What will remain constant is that CASA and that individual will be that one person that child can rely on throughout this entire journey.”
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