CASA of Will County’s 11th Christmas Express is Nearly Sold Out

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Will County, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to draw from community resources to provide well-trained volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in the juvenile court system, is almost sold out of tickets for its most popular annual event, the CASA Christmas Express Presented by Midland States Bank, Joliet.

“Midland States Bank is proud to serve as presenting sponsor for this popular holiday event for the third year in a row,” said Dan Stevenson, Eastern Regional Market President for Midland States Bank. “CASA is an extremely important organization in this community. Partnering with them for the Christmas Express is a great opportunity for us to provide funds to kids who are much less fortunate while allowing families to experience the joy of Christmas through this event. That’s what we’re all about.”

The event will take place throughout the first weekend of December on Saturday, December 7, and Sunday December 8. Tickets, which are selling quickly on a first-come first served basis, are available at www.casaofwillcounty.org. All proceeds from this event benefit abused and neglected children of Will County.

Trains depart from Joliet Union Station, 50 E. Jefferson Street in Joliet, where guests will enjoy games and activities, presented by Joliet Junior Woman’s Club, and hot cocoa, before

boarding the Christmas Express en route to the Tinley Park Oak Park Avenue Station. Once there, guests will partake in a wondrous array of festive fun before their return trip to Joliet. In addition to the train ride, activities will include:

• Breakfast or lunch and photos with Santa at Durbins in Tinley Park (17265 South Oak Park Avenue)
• “Santa’s Workshop” – also known as the Viking Lodge (6730 175th St, Tinley Park, IL 60477) – with fun-filled activities sponsored by The Holly Club of Joliet
• Children’s games, face painting, raffle prizes and more!

On both days, The Village of Tinley Park will hold its annual Holiday Market starting at noon, so guests on later trains can enjoy all of those amenities before heading back to Joliet. The popular market is free and open to the public in the Metra station parking lot.

Tickets for the CASA Christmas Express are $35 each and include the round-trip train ticket, breakfast or lunch, soft drinks, hot cocoa and cookies as well as all activities. Limited sponsorships also remain at varying levels for this popular community event. All proceeds will help CASA of Will County to recruit, train and supervise volunteer advocates for abused and neglected children in Will County. For more information, call 815-730-7072 or email our Executive Director, Rita Facchina, at rfacchina@casaofwillcounty.org. For more details, tickets and an FAQ page, please visit www.casaofwillcounty.org.

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About CASA of Will County: CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Will County is a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to draw from the community resources to provide well-trained volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in our juvenile court system. CASA of Will County is a member of the National CASA Association and a United Way of Will County agency. For more information please visit www.casaofwillcounty.org or follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/casawillcounty.