It started with an article in the newspaper about a volunteer opportunity that caught the attention of Carrie Weyers.

“I was looking for another volunteer opportunity,” Weyers said, adding she spent time volunteering with her church and the food pantry but thought she could do something more in the community.

“I wanted to do something that would make a difference, an impact,” she said.

She recalled reading about CASA of McHenry County, a nonprofit organization that supports children who are in the foster care system through no fault of their own. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate, a volunteer who represents and advocates for a child or group of siblings.

For Weyers, it seemed like the article was a calling, as she recalled how her own parents had opened their home to foster children. Weyers describes herself as having an appearance of a “grandma,” and as a CASA volunteer she enjoys the visits with her appointed children, often playing games and talking with them, followed by paperwork and documentation.

Weyers isn’t an attorney; she isn’t a social worker. She’s someone who has time, a willingness to learn procedures and a dedication to being a constant figure to a child who is navigating uncertain times.

In 2025, CASA of McHenry County marked its 20th anniversary, and continues to provide a supportive system aiding children, from infants through 21-year-olds, in the county’s child welfare system. In most cases, the children have entered the court system due to parents or guardians facing charges of neglect, said Becky Morris, executive director of CASA of McHenry County. The neglect can be a lack of basic care, or it can be traced to parents facing substance abuse, or other health problems. There are also cases of children who have been removed from their home due to physical abuse.

A CASA volunteer becomes an impartial person in the child’s case, navigating between foster caregivers, social workers, school personnel and the court system. For Weyers, one of the first lessons was in handling the paperwork, from tracking those involved in a child’s case to learning how to file reports.

But it wasn’t something she had to learn on her own. CASA of McHenry County has a dynamic training program to help new volunteers prepare for their role. Once they’ve started a case, each CASA has ongoing support from the organization’s staff.

Keeping a small staff and a large team of volunteers is part of the recipe to CASA success in the past 20 years, Morris said.

“We serve 100% of the kids in our county with 170 volunteers. It’s incredible,” Morris said.

It’s been no easy feat to serve every child in the county, especially as court cases continue to rise. When the organization launched in 2005, it had less than 50 children to serve, Morris said. Now, it supports more than 350 children a year.

“It’s amazing what we can do, and it’s cost-effective for the county,” Morris said.

Supporting the CASA of McHenry County mission takes place throughout the year including its annual fundraisers. The organization held its annual gala on March 6 with the theme Big City Bash: Aspen, an alpine-themed event featuring auctions, games, dinner and dancing.

One of the other important fundraisers takes place in the fall at CASA of McHenry County’s annual Little Black Dress, an event designed to bring women together to enjoy a special night out. In October 2025 the organization’s 13th annual Little Black Dress drew more than 400 women for a special night and raised more than $110,000.

“I love that event because women love to come out with their girlfriends, co-workers,” Morris said. “Women really understand our mission and what it means to protect children.”

These and other fundraisers throughout the year help to support the organization’s operating costs as well as the ongoing education and training for its CASA volunteers.

Weyers said training and ongoing support is so important to help her in her role. She is on her second case. Being organized is very helpful, Weyers said, but ultimately to be a volunteer it’s about flexibility to be able to have the time for the children and being involved in the case.

Through her years as a volunteer and with help from the staff, she’s developed ways to keep track of information, learned to write reports and use voice-to-text to collect notes and thoughts following a visit in her drive home.

As a CASA, Weyers understands her role is to be impartial, yet she also has compassion, understanding there are multiple sides to every story and no parent wants to see their child in the court system. She said there are days she’s prayed and worried. There are days she leaves her visits feeling a good type of tired, from laughing, playing, reading together with the children she visits.

“When I leave, I feel energized and I feel so hopeful that these kids are in the right spot,” Weyers said.

CASA of McHenry County will host its next information session to learn more about an advocate role on Zoom at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 14. Register and get more information about CASA at casamchenrycounty.org.