May 14, 2024

JOLIET— Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announces that the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center, founded by Glasgow in 1995, has unanimously approved the appointments of Frankfort Mayor Keith Ogle and Interim President and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital Michael Mutterer to the CAC Board of Directors. The nominations were approved by the Board at its April meeting.

“Mayor Ogle and Interim Silver Cross President Mutterer are joining the CAC Board at a time of growth and expansion, as we continue providing additional services and resources in our new, state-of-the-art facility in Crest Hill,” Glasgow said. “We look forward to working with them as we continue in our mission of providing hope, healing, and justice to victimized children who have been severely sexually and physically abused and neglected.

” In addition to serving as Frankfort Mayor, Ogle is the President of Plus One Audio Video and is active in the Frankfort Lions Club. He also is Past President the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce and the Frankfort Library Board, and previously served as a Village Trustee and Village Clerk, “I believe it is our obligation in life to protect the innocent and vulnerable,” Ogle said. “I admire the work that the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center does in bringing justice and healing, and I’m proud to serve on this Board.”

Mutterer is the successor on the Board to former Silver Cross Hospital President and CEO Ruth Colby who passed away in 2023. He is on the Board of Directors for Lightways Hospice & Serious Illness Care and LeadingAge Illinois and is a member of the Joliet Rotary Club. “I’m deeply honored to join the Board of Directors for the Will County Child Advocacy Center. It’s truly a privilege to be part of an organization dedicated to ensuring the well-being and rights of children are prioritized and protected,” Mutterer said.

“I can’t thank Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow and Will County CAC Executive Director Lisa Morel Las enough for their unwavering commitment to the children and families of the communities we serve.” Just last month, the Will County CAC celebrated the official opening of its new building at 1206 Cedarwood in Crest Hill with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by local officials, members of law enforcement, and the community. The facility provides an expanded, customized space for the CAC, which has served more than 11,600 severely sexually and physically abused and neglected children since it was founded by Glasgow in 1995.

“Each and every day, the CAC works in cooperation with our community partners to create a safer and more hopeful future for all children,” Glasgow said. “Children are our most precious resource, and we need to do everything in our power to enable them to grow and flourish. In addition to our new and expanded location providing further opportunities to help traumatized children, we are fortunate to have active, engaged Board members who are dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of the children served by the CAC.”

Annually, the Will County CAC serves more than 700 children who have endured physical and sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, child pornography, neglect, and exposure to violence.

Glasgow created the Will County CAC as a child-focused, coordinated response center to provide hope, healing and justice for children who have endured severe physical abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, neglect, and exposure to violence. When a child makes an outcry of sexual abuse, the child is brought to the CAC where highly trained and compassionate forensic interviewers obtain accurate and complete statements in a neutral, non-suggestive, and child- friendly environment. The CAC also provides trauma-focused individual and group counseling, medical exams, legal advocacy, and community resource referrals to facilitate the healing process.