Apex CPAs & Consultants Raise Over $30,000 in 6th Luggage of Love Campaign for Kane County Children

ST. CHARLES, Ill. - Dec. 15, 2020 - PRLog -- Apex CPAs & Consultants Raise Over $30,000 in Sixth Luggage of Love Campaign for Kane County Children in Foster Care

(St. Charles, Illinois) December 15, 2020—In its sixth annual Luggage of Love fundraiser, supported by dozens of generous clients and friends, Apex CPAs & Consultants raised over $30,000 to provide gift-packed suitcases to Kane County children entering foster care. Apex managing partner James Chakires, who founded the Luggage of Love campaign in 2015, presented the donations to Gloria Kelley, CASA Kane County executive director, at a recent donation drop-off event. This year was a momentous year, pushing donations to date to over $100,000 with 100% of the proceeds going directly to benefit children in the Kane County foster care system.

"Can you imagine being in that situation? These children are removed from their homes through no fault of their own, sometimes due to abuse or neglect and other times due to a parent's death or illness. These children are already traumatized, and now they have to leave behind everything and everyone they know. That is why I feel Luggage of Love is such a worthy cause," remarked Jim Chakires, who serves as Vice Chair of the Executive Committee for CASA. "By giving a child a new piece of luggage to protect their precious belongings, we give them a booster shot of dignity and hope."

"We can't thank Jim and Jessie Chakires enough, along with their staff, clients, and friends who donated to the Luggage of Love campaign, for their generous outpouring of support," said Gloria Kelley, Executive Director of CASA Kane County. "These seemingly simple items are so meaningful to the children and really make them feel valued and loved. After this year and what they have been through, their confidence and trust need to be built back up. This is a great way to show them that there are people who care about them."

CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. CASAs are all volunteers from the community who, as the name suggests, advocate for the best interests of children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. Whereas DCFS social workers must often handle 20 or more cases at a time, a CASA volunteer is responsible for just one case at a time. A CASA ensures that each individual child's needs are heard and addressed throughout various court hearings and moves from one residence to another. Being able to give a child a suitcase full of gifts is one small way a CASA can help ease a child's transition into foster care.

https://www.apexcpas.com/news/apex-cpas-consultants-raise...