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 By the Apache Staff

"The Criminal Justice Association is not a social club," said President B. Eddie Bauman. "It is a group of dedicated criminal justice students lending their time and special skills to community awareness projects and helping those in need."

Upcoming projects for the group include the Take Back the Night march, the annual recognition and appreciation luncheon and National Law Enforcement Week activities. Earlier projects included a Christmas toy drive and an identification booth for children.

On May 10, the CJA will sponsor the annual Take Back the Night march in Peru.

"This community awareness event is an important factor in an attempt to prevent domestic violence," Bauman said.

The march will begin at 6 p.m. at the Maude Powell Statue on Route 6 in downtown Peru. LaSalle County’s new States Attorney, Joe Hettel, will speak.

"We hope to involve the IVCC community in our efforts to combat domestic violence and educate the public," Bauman said.

On May 4, the CJA will host a recognition and appreciation luncheon in honor of criminal justice internship sponsors and graduates. Later in May, the association will participate in National Law Enforcement Week activities at the Peru Mall.

A pilot program to teach a class in criminal justice to area school children is in the planning stages. Bauman said CJA advisor Rebecca Donna and an association student member are working on the program which would involve children in an investigation, a mock trial and learning how to dust for fingerprints.

"The future plan is to offer this program to all elementary schools in the college district," Bauman said.

In the fall semester, CJA members collected toys from area merchants for the children of the Department of Children and Family Services.

Calling the toy drive "one of the projects we are most proud of," Bauman said "the whole gang got together to wrap and label everything and delivered them to the DCFS offices."

During the holidays, the association members also set up an identification booth at the Peru Mall for children visiting Santa with their parents. CJA members fingerprinted the children, took their pictures and presented each child with a book containing everything.

"Kyle Phelps did a beautiful job of designing the books, and the kids and their parents were thrilled to have them," Bauman said.

In the future, the President said, the association hopes to provide the children with a laminated identification card that includes a photo, fingerprint and lock of hair.