Despite becoming highly involved with several national organizations on the internet that provided general information regarding child support enforcement she still didn't feel like she was meeting the needs of her own community here in Illinois. Thus Child Support In Illinois was born.

Since the group's inception on April 16, 2005 Dawn has painstakingly added to the group files all the information she has obtained pertaining to paternity, child support, medical support and enforcement measures as well as in depth information on DCSE and other government offices.

With the increase in membership, assistance was needed with the general moderation duties of the group. Thus on Jaunary 14, 2006, Teri Moncelle Colglazier was given the position of Group Moderator and will provide back-up support for Dawn when needed.

To further branch out and provide information on the group and to provide links to other organizations that offer help, CSII launched a website on January 16, 2006. Since that time, the site has gone through many changes, both in setup and information. A Deadbeat page was added to showcase non-custodial parents who are in arrears to group members in an effort to locate them and obtain payments on arrears. Since the inception of this page a total of $20,000+ has been collected by various group members.

The original CSII website was maintained on a portion of a group member's personal site, however on February 22, 2006 a generous donation of our own URL by another group member enabled a move to it's current home at www.ChildSupportInIllinois.com.

Continuing the committment to not only educate custodial parents online but out in the communities brought to light the fact that funding was needed. Up to this point everything that had been done was through volunteer efforts of many people, but in order to take this vision to the next step CSII needed to become Not-For-Profit. Thus, the paperwork was submitted and Not-For-Profit status was granted April 5, 2006. The next step will be aquiring the $500 funds necessary to become 501(c)(3) which will allow all donations to be tax deductible.

As the group grows and expands and moves out into the local communities forming local support groups as well as educating the public through informational kiosks; Child Support in Illinois will continue to fulfill it's mission to be the best place to come for knowledge regarding all aspects child support endeavors.

Child Support In Illinois believes that:

1. all children have the right to consistent emotional and financial support by both parents.

2. all children have the right to the same lifestyle they would have enjoyed had their parents remained together.

3. it is the responsibility of both parents to avoid involving the child in disputes they have with each other or with the court.

4. it is the responsibility of the non-custodial parent to make every effort to maintain contact with their child under all circumstances.

5. it is the responsibility of the non-custodial parent to abide by all the orders of the court.

6. it is the responsibility of the custodial parent to become educated about their child’s rights under Illinois Laws and insure that those rights are protected.

7. it is the responsibility of the custodial parent to take an active role in their child support case.

8. it is the responsibility of the custodial parent to work with the Illinois Department of Child Support Enforcement to ensure that Federal guidelines are followed and all enforcement measures are utilized.

9. with education, knowledge and empowerment custodial parents can make a positive difference not only in their child’s life but in their own.