A New Home

It took much planning and searching and fundraising, but CASA Lake County has a new home in Vernon Hills.That means more space for offices and much needed room for meetings and trainings! Now advocates and our managers will be able to do more from a centralized location instead of splitting up between the court house and the former officers which were farther away. Executive Director Terri Greenburg is the key factor in this coming to fruition. I missed the big open house as it was on John's birthday, but I was able to see it before the party and I am so thrilled for everyone.

What's For Breakfast?

Thanks to the Northfield Fire Department, Saturday morning began with pancakes. This has become a yearly tradition for our family. This year, they brought in a PINK fire truck from Buffalo Grove. Her name is "Jessica," on behalf of a sixteen year old who was diagnosed with spinal cancer. She had terrible back pain which was blamed on a heavy school back pack and later on horseback riding. Then she woke up one morning paralyzed. Today, I am told, was her final dose of chemo and she is now able to walk with the aid of a walker and even on her own! Thank you Northfield Fire Department for all you do and best wishes to Jessica on a full remission and recovery.
1)They can never get enough of fire trucks!
2)Jessica and Ali
3)PINK!

Be the Change

Today I spent part of the afternoon at the ITW Headquarters. The campus is gigantic! They are partnered withe the United Way and hoping to inspire their thousands of employees in Illinois to go out and volunteer. They are beginning a pilot project where they will pay employees for their time volunteered to organizations. CASA was invited to take part in their first get together. On behalf of CASA of Lake County, I, along with others from a couple of dozen other agencies and organizations had the chance to speak with some of ITW about what we do and why we do it. It was also a great way for the orgs to network with one another as well. I hope this new project takes off and inspires both employees and other companies to go make a difference!

Day of Learning

Today child advocates through CASA from several counties along with others who work in the juvenile court system, gathered in Lake County for a day long workshop. The session helped us learn how to more effectively build relationships those we serve. Not only was the information great for the work we do as CASAs, but also great in everyday life. Michael Brandwein is an educator,speaker and author who is from Northbrook, but he has spoken on these subjects in dozens of countries and on all continents, but one (Antartica.) His insight on human behavior and conflict resolution has been taught at NASA and the CIA. One of the biggest lessons I learned was that when you are handling a big difference of opinions, the best thing to do is sit back and listen to the "other side," first. REALLY listen to what may be driving their views and then let them know you are hearing them and understanding what they have to say by summarizing what you just heard. Even if you do not agree, most times, an angry person will simmer down a bit if they feel like they are being heard and if they feel the "other side," is trying to understand their views. That's when compromise can more often be found. A simple, "Tell me more..." or "I'm interested to hear what you have to say," can work wonders. And as a CASA, sometimes you find yourself dealing with people who may be upset with the courts, DCFS, services...or just life. The workshop will hopefully help better manage those tougher times. And Michael was just fantastic! He donated his weekend to be with us because he felt the work being done on behalf of children is so important. Thank you Michael for your humor and your wisdom.