Kane County Courthouse 100 S. Third Street, Suite 460 Geneva, IL 60134 (630) 232-4484

Gloria is a proven professional, especially in the not-for-profit and services industries. For the last four years, she has been the Executive Director for CASA Kane County (Court-Appointed Special Advocates), an organization that represents the legal interests of abused and neglected children. Prior to coming on board with CASA Kane County, Gloria worked for Provena Mercy Medical Center for six years.

Gloria’s professional growth has been a steady progression of development in the voluntary sector, highlighted by the following: Select member of Aurora University’s MBA Advisory Board; Past Vice-Chair of the of the Aurora Public Library Foundation;Past Chair of the Aurora Chamber Ambassador Program; member of the Tri-City Exchange Club; St. Charles Rotary Noon Club and Past Chair of the Fox West Philanthropy Network.

In her current position, Gloria works with CASA Kane County’s board of directors, staff and volunteers to provide the support needed for children in abuse/neglect and probate courts.  Accomplishing this has called for a broad range of skills, both technical and interpersonal.  Gloria received her Master of Business Administration degree in Leadership from Aurora University and her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations with a minor in marketing from Eastern Michigan University. She enjoys long distance running, has been married for eighteen years and has two children at West Aurora High School.

Briefly, describe your business.
CASA Kane County is a nonprofit organization, established in 1988, whose mission is to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the Kane County Juvenile Court system.  CASA Kane County recruits, trains, and case manages community volunteers who serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates/Guardians ad Litem (CASA/GAL) for children who are in court due to abuse and neglect. 

CASA Kane County’s 225 CASA/GAL volunteers annually serve over 500 children throughout Kane County. CASA Kane County is one of over 1,000 CASA programs across the country, and one of 31 programs 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. 

What size is your company?
CASA Kane County is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Daily operations are managed by a dedicated staff of eleven.  Every CASA/GAL volunteer is managed by one of five staff case managers and is aided by a more experienced CASA mentor during their first year of service. CASA volunteers spend between 10 and 15 hours per month working on their case.  In 2009, volunteers contributed over 16,000 hours.

What is your ideal client?
In our world of child abuse and neglect, the ideal client is not having a child come through our courtroom. 

What products and/or services does your business offer?
The CASA Kane County Organization is appointed by a Judge to every case that comes into abuse/neglect and probate courts.  Our status as a Guardian ad Litem program means that the volunteer is a party to the case.  Our volunteers have the authority to obtain records and information about the child and make recommendations to the judge based on that information.  CASA/GAL volunteers visit the child(ren) on their case at least once a month, interview anyone who has relevant information to the case, research records (medical, school, DCFS), monitor compliance with court orders, monitor all placements to prevent further abuse and neglect, prepare reports for the judge prior to all court hearings, and participate in the hearings.  In 2010, 99% of our CASA/GAL volunteers’ recommendations regarding where the child(ren) should be placed were accepted by the judge.  CASA/GAL volunteers are appointed to one case at a time, and remain with the case until a permanent resolution has been reached.  The goal in every case is to find a safe, permanent home for the child(ren) involved.  The average length of a case is two years. 

How did you originally discover the idea for your business?
The concept of the CASA Kane County program was brought  into our area by a women who lived in Wayne, Illinois by the name of Charlotte Evans.  Charlotte was in California visiting in the mid 80’s and was so impressed with the CASA movement there that she just had to bring the concept back to Illinois to her friends and colleagues. Her passion for helping children in need and knowing that more could be done for abused and neglected kids was a driving force to her and others who developed this incredible advocacy program.  So the movement  in Kane County began in 1988 with two staff members and five volunteers along with community minded individuals who formed the first board of directors that many are still involved with today. 

What have been the keys to success in your eyes?
The people – it’s always about the people.   Our program and the people involved have such passion to make the lives of abused and neglected children better.  Not only that, but it takes an entire community to address and create change.  It’s not going to happen overnight, but throughout the years and the committed CASA volunteers, donors, staff, governance and community leadership that have believed in this program since day one, we are persevering  through some pretty tough times. We’re making great inroads and getting the message out to our constituents and community to ensure the longevity and success  we need to in order to thrive for the children we serve. 

What kind of relationship do you establish with your customers?
Consistent relationships with adults who will be with and by their side through good and bad times.  Children in the child-welfare system have had their whole lives turned upside down and our CASA volunteers model what a good relationship between a child and adult should be so that they can stop the cycle of abuse and neglect with their own children.  Our relationship with all of our judicial partners, donors and community is also a very important one as we continue to need funding to support our advocacy program. 

How do you maintain these relationships?
With a lot of communication, support and in making sure we have the right people advocating for children who are in foster care.  I am a firm believer that the word thank you cannot be said enough, a note-card cannot be sent to many times and conversation with our volunteers and donors thanking them for the on-going belief in our endeavors can never be understated. 

Have you noticed any trends in your industry?
I wish I had a crystal ball to understand trends with child-abuse and neglect.  Unfortunately the trends that we see are dictated from a state level and how cases come into the courtrooms.  Fortunately a program like ours exist and because it has for nearly three decades, we can serve 100% of all abused/neglected and probate court cases to provide children a healthier and safer future. 

What is your greatest achievement?
That is a hard one and when I collectively look at everything, I have to say our ability to attract the right mix of CASA volunteers, board and staff to ensure that 100% of all children have a CASA volunteer who cares about their best interests and special needs. 

Describe your business in five words or less.
A Powerful Voice in a Child’s Life