December News: Holiday Heroes, Double the Donation and Gianna's Story

Photo collage of 6 photos. 1. Caucasian woman with brown hair standing in front of her donations of stuffed animals and blankets. 2. Two Caucasian women standing with two Korean men holding a fruit basket donated by Allliance Fellowship Church to CAC staff. 3. Latina woman sitting surrounded by Christmas gift bags. 4. Interior photo of the Hoffman Estates Police Department Community Closet with coats and winter gloves and hats. 5. A young Caucasian woman standing next to an SUV trunk filled with holiday gifts. 6. An invitation from LINKS Technology to donate to their Christmas gift drive for CAC.

A Heartfelt Holiday Thank You

CAC would like to highlight the kindness of a few of our friends, neighbors and corporate partners pictured above:

Donor and volunteer Patty Errera stands with her donation of stuffed animals and fleece blankets (top center).
CAC staff Alexis Gilkes and Rachel Gilmore accept the holiday fruit basket presented by Pastor Noh and Evangelist Bada Bok of Alliance Fellowship Church (top right).
CAC Bilingual Family Advocate Sara Castillo sits surrounded by some of the holiday gifts purchased by Hyatt Hotels Corporation for CAC clients (middle left).
The Hoffman Estates Police Department community closet recently provided coats for several CAC clients on short notice (middle right).
CAC Family Advocate Grace Ording stands with more of the gifts purchased by Hyatt Hotels Corporation for CAC clients (bottom center).
LINKS Technology invited their clients to participate in a Christmas CAC Drive to collect gifts and other goodies for CAC clients (bottom right).
(not pictured but very much appreciated) St. Hubert's Parish toy drive for CAC clients

We would also like to recognize funders who made grant awards to CAC this fall:

North Shore Exchange
Carl R. Hendrickson Family Foundation
Rotary Club of Arlington Heights
St. Mark Lutheran Church of Mount Prospect
NICOR
Andrew and Alice Fischer Charitable Trust
Ascension St. Alexius

CAC is so thankful for all of the efforts to support our work in the community with young survivors of abuse or violence. Together we are making a difference!

Gianna and Julissa - Learning to Bond and Build Resilience

By Bianca Gonzalez, Safe from the Start Program Supervisor

Gianna* initially sought services from Safe from the Start (SFTS) while she was pregnant after experiencing an incident of physical aggression by her husband. Gianna experienced confusion and fear as this was an initial incident of abuse, and she was unsure about what would be best for her unborn child’s future. Gianna participated in weekly individual therapy during her pregnancy and was able to gain insight into:

intimate partner abuse
effects of domestic violence on children
increased ways of caring for herself physically and emotionally

She also processed cultural expectations as related to domestic violence. Gianna ultimately decided to stay in her marriage and completed therapy when her daughter Julissa* was born.

When Julissa was two years old, Gianna requested therapy as her husband was becoming verbally abusive again, and she feared that her daughter...

Keep reading on the blog

Photo of 3 youth - a teen Latina reading a book, a teen girl with long brown hair looking out the window, a 10-year-old Black boy studying

For 35 years, CAC has been a vital community resource, providing free healing services for young survivors of abuse or violence. If you are considering making an end-of-year gift to support CAC's work, did you know there are three ways you can maximize your gift while preserving your cash?

IRA Required Minimum Distributions
Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) gifts
Double the Donation Employer Matching gifts

CAC Celebrates a Promotion

Multidisciplinary Team Coordinator Bri Kness was recently promoted to MDT Services and Training Manager. Bri has been at CAC for three and a half years and is finishing her Master's degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management. She says that she is looking forward to working with CAC's multidisciplinary team in a different way - sharing information on all the ways we can work together to best serve our families and the wider community, how the CAC can support the MDT in the work they do and what services the CAC offers.

As for what she enjoys about working at CAC, Bri added that she loves the moments when she is able to help a caregiver feel more confident and in control by listening to their concerns, answering their questions and sharing all the ways CAC can help their family through the situation that brought them to us.

On a seasonal note - Bri's favorite holiday food is Trader Joe's dark chocolate-covered peppermint Jo-Joe's cookies. You can only get them this time of year, she said, and they are amazing!

Two Latina women with long brown hair and glasses.

CAC Advocates Attend Conference

In November, Bilingual Family Advocates Paula Amat and Sara Castillo attended a conference just for Advocates presented by Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois.

“The conference provided a platform for learning from experts and peers, and it sparked meaningful conversations about how we can collectively drive positive change in our communities," Castillo shared. "It was a great opportunity to connect with like-minded advocates, share ideas and leave empowered to continue fighting for the causes that matter most.”

“We had the privilege of listening to experts teach about challenges unique to this role," Amat added. "This conference also provided us with the opportunity to learn from our peers and discuss strategies and approaches to best serve our clients! It was a validating and enriching experience!”

December 25	Christmas Day	Office Closed
December 31	Last day to make donations for 2024 tax year	Online or postmarked by December 31
January 1	New Year's Day	Office Closed

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Volume 46 | December 2024