McHenry County Court Swears In Seven Child Advocates

Seven new CASA volunteers were sworn in by Judge Mary H. Nader in the McHenry County Juvenile Court of the 22nd Judicial Circuit on Friday, October 18, 2024. Judge Nader acknowledged each person’s oath to the court to serve children who have been abused or neglected.

CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) give children in the foster care system a voice and provide consistency within chaos. The trained CASA volunteers advocate for the children’s best interests and work to change children’s lives.

Studies show that children in foster care with an appointed CASA volunteer are returned home or adopted more quickly than children without a CASA. With a CASA, older children are more likely to graduate high school and are less likely to be a teen parent or become incarcerated, among other significant factors.

These seven new CASAs will be appointed to open juvenile abuse and neglect cases in McHenry County. However, a handful of children in McHenry County continue to need a CASA volunteer assigned to them. Without a CASA, the county’s children are at risk of not having someone to be their voice in the courts.

CASA of McHenry County will begin a new training session in January 2025. Applicants can apply now to be ready to join the upcoming class.

Learn more about the role of CASA Advocates, sign up for an information session, or apply to become a CASA at www.CASAMcHenryCounty.org.

The seven new CASAs are pictured, in order of appearance: Yolanda Leahy, Teresa Bossert, Erin Freese, Heather Case, Melanie Jerz, Jessica Elliott, Ellen Leighton, Sara Hockensmith, and Leigh Hobbs.

For more information, please contact:

CASA of McHenry County

382 W Virginia St

Crystal Lake, IL 60014

Ph:  (779) 994-4398

casamchenrycounty.org