Shining Star Children’s Advocacy Center serves about 300 potential victims of child abuse in Ogle and Lee counties each year. The nonprofit organization has been in operation since 2002 and has worked with over 3,500 children.

Based in Dixon, Shining Star works with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and law enforcement when there are issues of physical and sexual abuse of children. When there is an open case, Shining Star has its own location where children can be interviewed in a warm environment by trained staff. It provides counseling, court advocacy, community resources and more.

This month, which is Child Abuse Awareness Month, Shining Star will raise local awareness with events that include National Wear Blue for Child Abuse Awareness Day on April 10.

That day will also see a Hands Around the Courthouse event on the Old Lee County Courthouse lawn at noon with CASA and guest speakers including Dixon Deputy Police Chief Aaron Simonton and State Sen. Li Arellano Jr., R-Dixon.

A Hands Around the City event will be at Rochelle City Hall at noon April 17, with guest speakers including Mayor John Bearrows and Shining Star board member Patrick Janes.

“It’s always fun to see everyone support that and bring awareness,” Shining Star Executive Director Jessica Cash said. “We have area businesses that are offering specials to benefit our cause. It’s overwhelmingly amazing every year to see everybody bring awareness to things happening to kids every day. We’re out in the community all year long, but April is kind of the highlight of it.”

For the Shining Star CAC staff, April means showing the community how it’s able to help families and share their services to those who may need them. The pinwheel is the symbol for a happy childhood, and they will be seen throughout Child Abuse Awareness Month in Lee and Ogle counties with pinwheel gardens.

Cash said it’s important that people know when and how to report potential child abuse. She encourages people to report it to local law enforcement, the Department of Children and Family Services and agencies like Shining Star.

“I always say to report it, even if it doesn’t result in an investigation,” Cash said. “It’s an extra set of eyes checking on that child and making sure everything is OK. Everyone knows to call DCFS to report. But they do have guidelines on what they can take and what they can’t. I always encourage people to call law enforcement, as well. Because they can be an instant response, and they can look at all cases, not just the ones that meet the guidelines at DCFS.”

Shining Star sees an increase in the number of children it serves each year. Cash believes that’s partly due to increased awareness each year in the community and in schools.

This year, Shining Star will be opening an expanded Oregon office to better serve the Ogle County community. That location will offer the same array of services that its Dixon office does. The organization is also currently on a waiting list to get a facility dog that will help with forensic interviews and counseling with kids.

Cash said Shining Star has recently seen more children who are victims of or witnesses to domestic violence in their homes. Another recent uptick has been online crimes perpetrated against kids, such as the sending and/or receiving of inappropriate photos.

“That’s really an area I wish more parents knew was out there,” Cash said. “I think until it happens to their child, they don’t realize how easily it can happen. We’re seeing it happen to more and more kids. We work with law enforcement in our two counties, but we also work with Homeland Security, the FBI and the Illinois State Police on cases, a lot of them being online crimes. It’s really something we’ve been trying to stress to parents of preteens to teens. When your kids are on things like Roblox, Snapchat, Kik and Discord, it’s an open arena for people that are preying on kids.”

Cash said she enjoys seeing awareness brought to the often-difficult work that Shining Star staff does during April. Services are made available year-round to staff for mental health, such as quarterly peer support services that focus on secondary trauma.

Shining Star works to make its environment as child-friendly as possible, to show kids that staff members are there to support them and listen to whatever they have to share. Whether or not kids make a disclosure, follow-up services are provided.

“We really want to focus on the kids and this being a safe place for them,” Cash said. “When they’re here, the suspected person in their case is never allowed to be here so it can be a safe place for them to talk about whatever they need. Our counseling teen group and our pre-teen support group also provide that extra layer of support. They can come in and just be kids. We just want it to always be a safe place for them and for them to know, no matter what, we’re here for them.”

Shining Star’s goal is always to see children heal. Justice looks different for every child the center serves, whether it’s a case going through the justice system and a defendant being found guilty, or the abuse stopping and a child receiving healing services.

“We support each kid no matter where their journey takes them,” Cash said. “When we truly can see kids do their interview and their part in the investigation process, we continue to focus on that kid and their healing. When they’re able to graduate from counseling and group therapy and move on to make healthy choices and have healthy relationships, that’s really a success for us. If a child moves on with their life and is healthy and happy, then that’s success to us.”