Who We Are

About CASA Kane County

WHO IS CASA KANE COUNTY?

CASA Kane County is a nonprofit volunteer organization that has been advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the Juvenile Court system since 1988. CASA Kane County recruits, trains, and supervises community volunteers who serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates and Guardians ad Litem (CASA/GAL) for children who are in court due to abuse, neglect or private guardianship.

CASA Kane County is governed by 20 professional Board of Directors that give their time, talent and treasure. Daily operations are managed by the Executive Director and dedicated staff of 19.

CASA Kane County’s 230 CASA/GAL volunteers are serving over 600 children throughout Kane County annually. CASA Kane County is one of over 1,000 CASA organizations across the country, and one of 38 within the State of Illinois. The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, and relies solely on philanthropic support from individuals, grants and special event fundraising to support its operations. The CASA Kane County office is located in the downtown district of Geneva in the old courthouse that represents a county with over 500,000 people serving 28 cities.

Annual Report

Click to view our current annual report

Current Voice Newsletter

Click to view our quarterly newsletter, The Voice

What Guides Us

MISSION

CASA Kane County is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the Juvenile Court system.

VISION

We believe that every child has the right to a safe, nurturing and permanent home, and deserves the support and involvement of their community to make this all possible.

VALUES

Well-chosen values serve as meaningful guidelines for every program or activity, regardless of whether the stakeholders are volunteers, staff, advising boards or others.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

EMBRACING DIVERSITY

OUR PHILOSOPHY

CASA Kane County Is A Nonprofit, Volunteer-Based Organization That Advocates For Abused And Neglected Children Within The Juvenile Court System. Our Highly Trained Volunteers Are Appointed By A Judge To Represent The Best Interests Of Children In The Abuse And Neglect Court.

Our Obligation Is To Ensure That The Children We Represent Will Be Visited At Least Monthly, And That Their Needs, Desires And Circumstances Will Be Reported To The Court At Every Scheduled Hearing. The Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian Ad Litem (CASA/GAL) Will Be The Consistent Person In The Child’s Life.

EMBRACING DIVERSITY

Building On Our Legacy Of Quality Advocacy, We Acknowledge The Need To Understand, Respect, And Celebrate Diversity Including Race, Gender, Religion, National Origin, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Socioeconomic Status, And The Presence Of Sensory, Mental, Or Physical Disability. We Also Value Diversity Of Viewpoints, Life Experiences, Talents And Ideas.

A Diverse CASA/GAL Network Helps Us To Better Understand And Promote The Well-Being Of The Children We Serve. Embracing Diversity Makes Us Better Advocates By Providing Fresh Ideas And Perspectives For Problem Solving In Our Multicultural World, Enabling Us To Respond To Each Child’s Unique Needs.

Child Demographics

TOWNS

AGE

GENDER

ETHNICITY

Communities Served: Aurora – Batavia – Burlington – Campton Hills – Carpentersville – East Dundee – Elburn – Elgin – Geneva – Gilberts – Hampshire – Kaneville – Lily Lake – Maple Park – Montgomery – Mooseheart – North Aurora – Pingree Grove – Plato Center – St. Charles – Sleepy Hollow – South Elgin – Sugar Grove – Valley View – Virgil – Wasco – Wayne – West Dundee

MEET OUR LEADERSHIP

Gloria Kelley

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Carl Schoedel

BOARD CHAIR

Carlie Dunteman

VICE CHAIR

Tim Kellenberger

SECRETARY

Luke Slawek

TREASURER

Board of Directors

CASA Kane County’s Board of Directors is comprised of community and business leaders who serve as ambassadors in the community, speaking on behalf of the CASA program. One of their many responsibilities is to serve as a conduit of information about the on-going need for philanthropic support. The Board is also responsible for producing a community benefit report and financial report, and has fiduciary responsibility for the proper management of all donations.

Carl Schoedel – Kane Co. Div of Transportation
Carlie Dunteman – SomerCor 504, Inc.
Tim Kellenberger – Kellenberger Electric
Luke Slawek – FONA International
Tim Barry – Sandler Training
Katheryne Clippert – Clippert Medical Sales, Inc.
Steve Collins – Wight & Company
Dan Dolan – Dolan & Murphy, Inc.
Ray Drake – UPS
Anton Engelmann – Town & Country Gardens
Jennifer Paganessi-Fisher – Howard & Howard
Glen Kaegi – Exelon Corporation
Jeffery Kubas – Vertex Resource Group
Mike Kwiatkowski – Retirement Solutions
Kevin O’Donnell – O’Donnell Commercial Real Estate
Rolando Orama – Combined Insurance, A Chubb Company
Vicky Rullo – The Rullo Team/Re/Max All Pro
Fred Schramm – Schramm Construction Corporation
Mike Trimarco – St. Charles Bank and Trust

Chairman's Advisory Panel

The Chairman’s Advisory Panel is a collection of individuals who bring unique knowledge and skills which complement the knowledge and skills of the formal board members in order to more effectively govern the organization to a better financial position. The Advisory Panel is a resource pool of experts from any field deemed relevant used to advise the board and executive director in carrying out the mission. The board is not obligated to consult the Advisory panel.

Dan Dolan – Dolan & Murphy, Inc. – Co-Chair
Bob Runke – Barco Products – Co-Chair
Nancy Belmont – Beyond Words Speech Therapy
David Bird – DuPage Airport Authority
Mike Black – River City Lacrosse
Kim Byrne – KimberleeB Photography
Erin Brown-Carter – On-Path Financial
Jim Chakires – APEX CPAs & Consultants
Michael Clements – Meyer Capital Management
Jane Combs – Janie’s Lane Shop
Ryan Corcoran – Corcoran Commercial Real Estate
Kit DeWitt – KDI Design, Inc.
Shannon Embrey/Ernesto Guillen – Associated Bank – Aurora
P.J. Fitzpatrick – Wills Burke Kelsey Engineering LLC
Mike Frasier – The Wine Exchange
Greg Gregory – Clear Perspective Advisors
Ron Hain – Kane County Sheriff’s Office
Larry Hayes – Anchor Spa & Pool, Inc
Cynthia Holland – Martam Construction, Inc.
Jeffery Kubas – Wage Solutions
Kirstin Liberatore – Colonial Bag Corp.
Michael Moore – Lundstrom Insurance
Deanna Oliver – Kane County Regional Office of Education
Dave Ott – Old Second National Bank
Mari Pierce – AlphaGraphics
Jim Plonczynski – Bartlett Dept. of Community Development
Marianne Renner – Marianne Renner Coaching Solutions
Mark Rerko – Vetcom Consulting
Jeff Robinson – Fifth Third Bank
Zaida Rodriguez – Rush-Copley Medical Center
Ginny Russo – KDI Design, Inc.
Meagan Slavin – 25N Coworking
Brad Urhausen – Wine Sergi
Kristi Wano – CASA Event Volunteer
Adria Williams – CASA Event Volunteer
David Wong/David Sierakowski – HDR, Inc.