Saturday, May 14
Follow My Footsteps - Champions4Children Walk
Walkers from across the state of Illinois will lace up for the fourth annual Champions4Children Walk in support of Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois (CACI). Locally, a walk is being organized for the first time to benefit Carrie Lynn Children’s Center, The Medical Evaluation Response Initiative Team (MERIT), and the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois (CACI) on Saturday, May 14, at 10:00 a.m. at Klehm Arboretum, 2715 S. Main St., in Rockford, Illinois.
As the Children’s Advocacy Center serving Boone and Winnebago Counties, the mission of the Carrie Lynn Children's Center is to provide a comprehensive multi-disciplinary response to child sexual abuse and serious physical abuse allegations in a neutral, child-focused setting. Covering the counties in Northwest Illinois, MERIT, a program of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, provides specialized medical exams to alleged victims of child sexual abuse and severe physical abuse. Established in 1995, CACI is the network that coordinates and provides a comprehensive response to child abuse in Illinois.
The Champions4Children walk raises funds through pledges and sponsorships. Teams of local businesses, schools, churches, community groups and families raise funds - prior to and at the event - to help support the Carrie Lynn Children’s Center and the MERIT Program. Anyone interested in forming a team or learning more is encouraged to log on to www.cacionline.org or to contact Cynthia Hall at cyhall1@uic.edu or Denise Noe at deniseno@uic.edu for more information.