Kane County residents step up with gifts, cash for CASA children in foster care

GENEVA – When CASA Kane County began its annual Holiday Giving Program for children in foster care some years ago, providing Christmas presents involved hauling bags of donations through the old courthouse in Geneva, up the elevator and into a large conference room on the fourth floor.

And then volunteer advocates and foster parents had three days during courthouse hours to schlep up to the fourth floor, figure out what presents to choose, then haul the gifts back downstairs.

This year, not only does CASA have a storefront in St. Charles to facilitate donations and pickups, more than 100 donors stepped up with more than 1,200 gifts, said Natalie Bohner, senior manager of events and development for CASA.

“Especially at this time of year, we want to help and make the holidays bright for these kids and we are going to do everything we can to do that,” Bohner said. “We are blessed with this amazing community. It just blows us away.”

CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates – are trained volunteers who advocate for the best interests of children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect. CASA Kane County trains and supervises the volunteers.

This year, 200 CASA volunteers served all 613 children fostered in Kane and other counties.

The donated presents are not only for the foster children, but also for the foster siblings also living in the house, Bohner said.

“Foster families can be stretched. Many are uncles and grandparents who do not really have financial means. Some are traditional foster homes provided by the kindness of their hearts – but they don’t have unlimited funds,” Bohner said. “This is something we can do to provide gifts for all the children in the home.”

So when advocates arrive with wrapped gifts for the foster children, they also bring gifts for the other children in the house.

CASA Executive DirectorJim Di Ciaula echoed the sentiment.

“It did not seem right to bring a foster a child a gift and no one else,” Di Ciaula said. “On average, foster households have around two additional children … so 1,200 children will be getting gifts – our foster children and the other children in the home.”

The storefront was made available for about five weeks allowing for volunteers to organize the donations and then have advocates come in shifts to choose unwrapped gifts said.

“We have a wrapping center there or they can wrap the gifts themselves,” Di Ciaula said.

The generosity was overwhelming, as businesses and people hosted house parties to collect gifts or cash for CASA children, Di Ciaula said.

“I just did my own holiday event and collected $2,000 in gift cards. There were three parties this weekend and they brought in items and gift cards on top of the toys. So if a child needs something and it’s not there, we can get it for them. … It’s unbelievable how the community pulls together,” Di Ciaula said.

“These children were removed from their homes because a parent needed rehabilitation. They may come out of it and be reunited or be in an adoptive situation,” Di Ciaula said. “We are not only in the role of providing and ensuring the safety of a child in foster care, we are providing love and hope.”

And especially nice this year was the donation of a storefront – so donors and volunteers were not dragging stuff in and out of the courthouse, Di Ciaula said.

“We have had the space for about five weeks now,” Di Ciaula said. “It’s beautiful.”

The storefront was provided courtesy of Ryan Corcoran of Corcoran Commercial Real Estate in St. Charles.

“I sit on the board of CASA Kane County,” Corcoran said. “They expressed a need for space. Over the past years, they had to do it in the courthouse where their offices are. It was kind of difficult.”

So as the board discussed the agency’s needs, Corcoran realized his company manages, leases and does brokerage in the area. He stepped up.

“One of the buildings had a vacancy and CASA had a short-term need,” Corcoran said. “It helps the program in terms of organization and having volunteers do their shopping in a space that makes it a lot easier to facilitate.”

For more information about donating or become a volunteer, visit casakanecounty.org or call 630-232-4484.