For Amy Gregorio, pageantry isn’t about the glamour—it’s about the good.
The Emmy-nominated television journalist and Northfield mom of two, John, 8, and Ali, 5, was crowned Mrs. Illinois International in March and followed up that victory with another in July, earning the title of Mrs. International 2013. Her professional career took her across the country, reporting from Nashville, Indianapolis and locally at Fox News Chicago, covering Super Bowls, flying with Red Barons and interviewing four presidents. But her real calling is as a volunteer for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates).
Gregorio has worked with CASA for five years, advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children in courtrooms. Her service with the Lake County chapter composed her platform for the Mrs. International competitions. The worldwide pageant for married women and mothers promotes the contestants’ commitment to family and marriage, as well as their dedication to making a difference in the community. Each woman selects a nonprofit platform that she spends the year promoting, and Gregorio’s crown has allowed her to spread the vision of CASA farther than she could have ever imagined.
Make It Better: How did your reporting lead to your service work?
Amy Gregorio: I knew pretty early on that if you were on TV, or if you were in a public position, you could lend your name or your efforts to really make a difference. I spent three to four years exclusively covering the crime beat in Indianapolis. Time and time again, I was finding myself covering stories that really seemed to stem from abuse, either a current abuse situation or the fallout from abuse years ago.
When I had my daughter, Ali, I was very aware that it would be difficult for me to continue working as a journalist in the way that I had, so I spent a lot of time researching ways I could use what I had done as a reporter and where I could put those skills into an organization. I stumbled across CASA by doing a Google search. I fell in love with the organization, signed up immediately and began the training process.
What is CASA training like?
CASA Lake County is one of the most powerful and respected programs out of 1,000 offices in the country. We’re a flagship organization for chapters starting up or trying to find their way.
They made it really easy for me to go through the program, even with young children. It took a matter of six weeks. At the end of the program, you witness court for a couple of days to see how that process takes place. You’re sworn in by a courtroom judge, and then they offer you a case. My case was given to me to review. I accepted the case they offered me, which started one way and will be ending up very differently than any of us could have anticipated.
How many cases have you worked on with CASA?
The way it typically works is one person will have one case and stays with it through the court system until it closes. In order for a court case to close, a child has to be permanently placed in a home, or they age out of the system. For me, my case started with one child, and the natural mother had additional children after I took on the case, so my case ended up having three children. It’s been five years with this one case.
How has your work with CASA influenced your relationship with your children?
Working with CASA makes you want to do the best job you can as a parent, because you see all the ways parenting has gone wrong for other people and what it’s done to their children. Every time I hear of a story I think just can’t get any worse, I hear one more, and it just becomes one of those things where you ask, “How are these people treating children this way? How can they not take care of children?” I don’t understand that.
When you see some of these children that have been born into some of the worst circumstances you can imagine, it breaks your heart, and you wish you could take every child into your own home.
How have you used your experience as Mrs. International?
It’s been a tremendous time. It’s been really rewarding. I wanted an opportunity to spread the gospel of CASA. Awareness is really key. Right now in Lake County, we have roughly 250 advocates who are working with children. We’ve got so many children who are in need of having an advocate. We know that many people who may want to volunteer or support CASA just don’t know about us yet. Creating awareness and getting the information out there is key.
How does Mrs. International encourage service work?
It’s a platform-based pageant. Every woman who comes to the Mrs. International competition is committed to an area they are passionate about. The international organization is also partnered with the Go Red for Women campaign through the American Heart Association.
I really feel that if we, as women, could harness each other’s energy and support one another, we could truly affect and change the world in great ways. These 70 women are doing that in their own corners of the world. It’s really incredible what one person can do.
What is the most important thing CASA does?
You can make such an impact on a child’s future. The juvenile court system is underfunded and overwhelmed. CASA really is the only voice for a child. A CASA volunteer is typically the only person who will stay with that child throughout that entire process. Social workers may change out, or judges, or foster families—but a CASA volunteer is the one constant person children know they can depend upon. And, for a child, predictability can mean everything, and it’s often the one thing these kids haven’t had.
What are your plans for the rest of your tenure as Mrs. International?
It should be an exciting year. You feel like the clock’s ticking. I know I only have 12 months with this title to get everything done. It really is interesting how a title does open up the doors and offer up the opportunities to do more work on behalf of CASA. I keep looking at the calendar, knowing I’ve got to get it done. It’s now or never.
