Advocacy Network for Children annual fundraising dinner to be held Friday, Oct. 18

QUINCY — Advocacy Network for Children will hold its annual fundraising event, “Tailgate to Celebrate,” at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, at The Ambiance, 5225 Koch’s Lane. Reservations are required and available by calling the Advocacy Network for Children office at 217-223-2272 or by registering at www.eventbrite.com. Cost is $50 per person.

The event offers a live and silent auction, games and raffles. Local businesses and volunteers donate their time and merchandise for the event. The dollars raised will help Advocacy Network for Children provide advocacy for abused and neglected children in nine counties in West Central Illinois.

This year’s Clairice Hetzler Advocacy for Children Award recipient is Bob Daly. The Advocacy Network for Children Business Award recipient is Quincy Service Club. Both awards will be presented at the dinner.

This year’s fundraising committee members are:

• Gina Wolf, co-chair
• Whitney Mintert, co-chair
• Diane Disseler
• Kori Griffin
• Brooke Hunsaker
• Kylee Straube
• Angie St. Clair
• Sally Westerhoff
• Lisa Theurer
• Kearstin Sill
• Stacy Melton
• Heather Leindecker
• agency staff members Diane Pieper, Danielle Buss and Erica Parrish.

Dinner sponsors are:

• Quincy Recycle
• STARadio
• Mercantile Bank, Titan International, Inc.
• Hansen-Spear Funeral Home
• Knapheide Manufacturing Company
• Entrup Drywall and Painting, Inc.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
• Heartland Bank and Trust Company
• Blessing Health System
• Hilbing Autobody
• Memorial Hospital,
• Kunes Country Honda
• Freiburg Insurance Agency
• Gully Transportation
• State Street Bank
• Thrivent
• Quincy Medical Group
• Schmiedeskamp, Robertson, Neu and Mitchell
• Bopi
• HOMEBANK
• Refreshment Services Pepsi
• SPECS
• TI Trust
• Tracy Schlepphorst/Emotion Belly Books
• First Bankers Trust Company
• Barney’s Tavern
• Gardner Denver
• Sharkey Transportation, Inc.
• Kristopher’s Hair Studio
• Heather Leindecker, NP, PLLC
• Lowell Yates
• Thomas and Sally Westerhoff

Advocacy Network for Children provides two programs for abused and neglected children — the Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children (CASA) and the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC).

The heart of its mission is to protect and uphold the rights of abused or neglected children and to act as a voice in a child’s best interest. More than 1,100 children were served during the last fiscal year by the agency in its two programs.

Advocacy Network for Children provides a prevention program to children pre-K through fifth grade to teach children how to recognize welcome and unwelcome touches and how to say “no.” The program teaches children who they tell about unwelcome touches. The curriculum used, “Happy Bear and P.S. It’s My Body!,” is evidence-based and age-appropriate. Presentations were made to nearly 2,750 children during the last fiscal year.

All services provided by Advocacy Network for Children are free of charge. Staff is available at any time.

For more information about Advocacy Network for Children, visit www.advonet.org.