Community Involvement

CASA of McHenry County was founded in 2005 with the assistance of now-retired Judge Ward Arnold and since then has made a difference in the lives of 450+ children with the dedication of nearly 200 trained volunteer advocates.

The ultimate goal of CASA is to help ensure every child involved in the justice system due to severe abuse or neglect has a safe, permanent home; be it through reunification, guardianship or adoption. When a child is going through the trauma of the court system, a CASA advocate is tirelessly working to guide them through safely, quickly, and effectively.

Terri Greeno serves as a board member and we participate in four annual fundraising events.

“I am so proud to be part of an organization that acts as the voice of neglected or abused children who otherwise would not be heard. We are the eyes and ears of the judge. Children often can’t fend for themselves or make themselves heard. This is where CASA steps in. We give them a voice and a chance of a better and brighter future,” says Terri, owner of Express Employment Professionals Crystal Lake & North Kane County.

Children with a CASA advocate...  

• Spend less time in the foster care system
• Have fewer changes in foster placements
• Are more likely to be adopted
• More likely to graduate from High School
• Less likely to become a teen parent
• Less likely to spend time in jail

Home of the Sparrow opened its doors as a registered 501(c)3 non-profit homeless shelter in 1987. Today, HOS offers more than shelter services. Programs include: a 3 unit Transitional Apartment Program, a Rapid Rehousing Program, 19 units of Affordable Housing, added an Outreach and Prevention Program that has already served over 300 individuals. Individuals who enter HOS receive supportive and holistic services that address the core issues of homelessness. Home of the Sparrow serves single women and single women with children or pregnant, women who are homeless of all ages and demographics. Approximately 70 percent have domestic violence in their history. Other reasons for homelessness include unforeseen housing or financial crisis, a death in the family, or a medical emergency. The weak economy and rising cost of living over the past few years contribute to unstable housing situations.

In addition to affordable housing and transitional shelters and apartments, the agency operates Six Sparrow’s Nest,Thrift Stores and Donation Centers that are located in Algonquin, Cary, McHenry, Mundelein, Palatine and Woodstock.

Express supports Home of the Sparrow’s fundraising events and we offer to find its clients permanent jobs to give them a better future.

One night in May 1981 a few women met in a living room and decided to take action against intolerable abuse in the home of their friend and neighbor whose husband beat her. As word of their work spread, other concerned volunteers came forward to address the issue of domestic violence. Since then, Turning Point has grown to offer a spectrum of critical domestic violence prevention services.

Mission: To provide emergency shelter, essential needs, legal advocacy, children’s services and school advocacy, trauma recovery, financial education, and abuser intervention counseling to help protect women and their children from domestic violence.

Express Employment Professionals supports fundraising events and Turning Point’s clients by being accessible to help them find work because we believe that a job provides hope, dignity, and purpose in one’s life.

Domestic violence is particularly hard to stop as abusers are charismatic and many victims stay with their abusers because they don’t know where to go for help. Victims of domestic violence cannot stand alone. Turning Point is a safe haven for victims and their children.

Domestic violence is a crime that affects everyone. Serious repercussions include: mental health issues, the continuation of violence into next generations, and high monetary costs to employers and taxpayers. Turning Point cannot charge clients for victim services in accordance with the Illinois Domestic Violence Act. Therefore, they heavily rely on contributions. Every donation will impact the lives of abused women and children in such ways as providing a taxi ride to the courthouse for an order of protection, emergency and long term shelter for a victim of abuse, and while victims are in the care of the shelter, counseling to learn how to survive on their own so there is never a need for them to go back to their abusers.