News

James Lambie, the Chairman of the CLC Board of Directors is pleased to announce the following three year appointments to the Board

Dr. Anthony Atala, Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the W.H. Boyce Professor and Chair of the Department of Urology at Wake Forest University.

Ms. Lynette Fuller-Andrews, Associate General Counsel for Hanesbrands, Inc.

Mr. Rich Keshian, Director at Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton.

Ms. Robin J. Stinson, Family Law Specialist and Director at Bell, Davis & Pitt.

Mr. Allan Younger, Business Counselor at the Small Business and Technology Center.

Ms. Melanie York, Community Volunteer.

The CLC began an externship program with the Wake Forest University School of Law in 2009. We are pleased to announce that the collaboration has been formalized and the Children’s Law Center is now home to the Wake Forest University School of Law Child Advocacy Clinic. Second and third year students enrolled in Child Advocacy Clinic work under the supervision of CLC staff attorneys. Iris Sunshine, CLC supervising attorney and adjunct professor at Wake Forest University School of Law, directs the program. 8-10 students per semester focus upon the representation of children in high conflict custody cases, making recommendations concerning the custody of children in civil domestic violence proceedings, and representing children of indigent parents in issues involving the public school system. Students donate more than 500 hours per semester representing the best interests of children in our community. Clinic students act as Guardians ad Litem gathering information, interviewing the child, parents, teachers, medical personnel and other witnesses and formulating recommendations for the court. Students have the opportunity to present their findings in court. The partnership promises to be beneficial not only to the law students and the CLC, but also to the additional children whose best interests are represented in court proceedings by these committed interns.

The CLC was founded as a 501(c) (3) by Amy Kuhlman and Penny Spry after extensive experience working with the Child Advocacy Project of the Legal Aid Society of Northwest North Carolina. The mission of the CLC has always been to provide quality legal advocacy for children in legal and administrative proceedings. The CLC’s ultimate goal is to enable children to become emotionally healthy adults leading productive lives. We have served more than 600 children during our six years of operation.

The CLC could not operate without the support of its valued contributors. We would like to offer special thanks to our board members.

We also value our partnerships with local pro-bono attorneys who work tirelessly to protect the best interests of children. The CLC recently presented a plaque acknowledging and honoring the contributions of attorneys at Kilpatrick-Stockton to children in Forsyth County.

We also thank our foundation and funding partners:

• The Winston Salem Foundation
• Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
• NC Bar Endowment Fund
• Richard and Marie Reynolds Foundation
• The Women’s Fund
• IOLTA
• The Governor’s Crime Commission
• The Titmus Foundation

Thank you for your support. The CLC pledges to continue our efforts to provide a voice for children and to be a part of a community solution to break the cycle of domestic violence in 2011.

The CLC is pleased to announce the receipt of a $17,500 grant to fund a part-time development professional from the Winston Salem Foundation. The grant is made possible by funds provided by the Edna Georges Parkin Youth Fund.

During these difficult economic times, the CLC is committed to finding sustainable sources of funding through individual donors and grant making organizations. This is the second year that the CLC has received funding to enable us to spread the word about the CLC mission. Shannon Heck, serves as our part-time Director of Development. She looks forward to increasing the CLC’s revenue so that we may expand our services to needy children. If you would like to help or would like Shannon or one of our Child Advocates to speak to your group, please contact her at sheck@childrenslawcenternc.org

The Winston-Salem Foundation announced the 2008 Winston-Salem Foundation Award and the ECHO Awards at its annual community luncheon on May 7 at the Benton Convention Center. The Winston-Salem Foundation Award, the Foundation’s highest honor, was co-awarded to Amy Kuhlman and Penny Spry.

Amy (l) and Penny (r) have volunteered their time and legal skills to the care and protection of hundreds of children in our community. For many years they both volunteered at the Legal Aid Society of North Carolina, serving as Guardian ad Litem for children who had been subject to abuse and neglect. In 2005 they founded The Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina, a non-profit agency exclusively dedicated to providing advocacy for children in areas including issues of domestic violence, high conflict custody, abuse and neglect, and education. The Center currently utilizes the assistance of 33 volunteer attorneys, Wake Forest University law students,undergraduate students and community members who have been trained to be Guardians Ad Litem by the Children’s Law Center. Their ultimate goal is to enable these children to become emotionally healthy adults leading productive, fulfilled lives. In addition to their pro bono legal assistance, both Amy and Penny often have taken at-risk children under their wings, providing the emotional and financial support they need to help them succeed.

Established in 1996, the award is given to individuals who demonstrate the Foundation’s values of generosity, excellence, inclusion, and integrity along with visionary leadership in a community activity or on behalf of a community organization, particularly in the recent past. Past recipients have led nonprofits, provided community leadership, and created opportunities for the broader community. The recipient was selected by a committee comprised of members from various Foundation committees and the community at large.

With this recognition comes a $10,000 grant for Amy and Penny to designate for a local nonprofit. They have chosen The Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina to receive the grant award. They were nominated by Liz Morten and David C. Smith.