The Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center will hold the second annual La Nuit de L'Enfant (The Night of the Child) Gala Fund-raiser on Friday, March 28, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, followed by a keynote address by author and inspirational speaker Bonnie St. John, named one of the five most inspiring women in America by NBC News. The evening will conclude with a musical tribute to children featuring local children and emceed by Gus Gordon.

Bishop George J. Lucas has expressed his support for this event. "I am happy to encourage our Catholic people to support the work of the Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center, which does so much to offer needed services to abused and vulnerable children," he said.

Tickets for the event are $75 per person and reservations can be made by calling the Child Advocacy Center at (217) 522-2241.

The Child Advocacy Center opened in 1989 and coordinates cases of child sexual abuse. Multidisciplinary team members and the Child Advocacy Center staff work collaboratively to make sure that all aspects of investigation, prosecution and treatment are handled in the best interest of the child victim and non-offending caretakers. Each year the Child Advocacy Center coordinates nearly 300 cases of child sexual abuse that occur in Sangamon County.