Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center Expands Services to Ogle and Lee Counties

New office in Oregon, Illinois will provide forensic interviews, advocacy, and counseling for child abuse victims.

Apr. 12, 2026 at 11:08pm

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A softly focused, abstract image of a child's hand holding a small stuffed animal, with the background blurred into warm, muted tones, conveying a sense of comfort and care.The Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center's new office will provide a welcoming, child-centered environment to support young victims of abuse on their path to healing.Oregon Today

The Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center, based in Dixon, Illinois, is expanding its services into Ogle and Lee counties by opening a new office in Oregon, Illinois. The non-profit organization will now be able to provide forensic interviews, advocacy, and counseling for child abuse victims in the expanded service area, reducing transportation barriers for families.

Why it matters

The Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center plays a crucial role in supporting child abuse victims and helping them regain a sense of normalcy after traumatic events. This expansion into Ogle and Lee counties will make the center's comprehensive services more accessible to families in those communities.

The details

The Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center currently supports between 200 and 300 new children each year who have experienced abuse. The new office in Oregon, Illinois will allow the center to offer forensic interviews, advocacy, and counseling services, which were previously only available at their existing office in Dixon. This will reduce barriers for families who may have had transportation issues accessing the center's services on a regular basis.

  • The Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center is opening the new office in Oregon, Illinois.
  • The center currently supports between 200 and 300 new children each year who have experienced abuse.

The players

Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center

A non-profit organization that provides forensic interviews, advocacy, and counseling services for child abuse victims.

Jennifer Cash

The executive director at the Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center.

Charley Boonstra

The Lee County State Attorney who has witnessed the center's impact since 2016.

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What they’re saying

“We meet each child where they are developmentally, what they're able to express and how they're able to express it. Kids, sometimes will talk about what happens, sometimes they'll draw it out. Sometimes we have some dolls we use to help them. But we just like to meet each child where they're at.”

— Jennifer Cash, Executive Director, Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center

“Currently we have an office that we can only do counseling at, but our new office will be able to do forensic interviews, advocacy and counseling. This will reduce barriers for families having transportation issues, being able to get to our center every week for services.”

— Jennifer Cash, Executive Director, Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center

“Just wearing the pin, wearing the blue for Child Awareness month, it's the least that we can do for these children that are going from victims of child abuse, sexual abuse to survivors.”

— Charley Boonstra, Lee County State Attorney

What’s next

The new Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center office in Oregon, Illinois is scheduled to open in the coming months, providing expanded services to Ogle and Lee counties.

The takeaway

The Shining Star Children's Advocacy Center's expansion into Ogle and Lee counties demonstrates its commitment to making comprehensive support services more accessible for child abuse victims and their families in the region. By opening a new office in Oregon, Illinois, the center will be able to reduce transportation barriers and offer a wider range of services, including forensic interviews, advocacy, and counseling.