RELEASE: CLC Receives Mayor’s 2009 Community Service Award
Washington, DC – Mayor Adrian Fenty presented the Children’s Law Center with his 2009 Mayor’s Community Service Award yesterday for its successful use of pro bono attorneys to help the District’s at-risk children. The award was presented as part of National Volunteer Week.
The Children’s Law Center provides comprehensive legal services every year to more than 1,000 of DC’s low-income and at-risk children and their families. CLC’s 70 person professional staff leverages its ability to serve these families by recruiting, training, and mentoring volunteer attorneys from over 70 area law firms. Through partnership with CLC, hundreds of volunteer attorneys have assisted more than 1,000 children who exit foster care to live with safe, stable families by representing their caregivers in adoption, guardianship and custody cases. Volunteer attorneys also represent children in complex custody cases. This past year alone, over 20,000 volunteer hours (valued at over $7 million) were donated.
“The Children’s Law Center’s ability to provide critical legal services to DC’s low-income families is greatly enhanced by the hundreds of volunteer attorneys in our pro bono project,” said Judith Sandalow, Executive Director of CLC. “More than 1,000 children have safe, stable homes because of the amazing commitment and tireless work of our pro bono partners,” Sandalow continued.
CLC also congratulates Covington and Burling, LLP, winner of the 2009 Mayor’s Corporate Volunteerism Award. CLC nominated Covington for this award based on the law firm’s deep commitment to meeting the unmet legal needs of DC’s at-risk children and families. Covington has made a unique commitment to CLC; every six months, for the past six years, the firm has sent a full-time lawyer and paralegal to work at CLC on a pro bono basis. “I am thrilled that Covington and Burling has won this award,” said Sandalow. “They are a wonderful example of how a law firm can partner with a non-profit organization to make a huge difference in the DC community.”
About Children’s Law Center
The Children’s Law Center helps more than 1,000 children each year. It is the largest legal services provider in the District and the only organization that provides free, comprehensive legal representation specifically on behalf of children. The Children’s Law Center envisions a future for the District of Columbia in which every child has a safe home, a meaningful education and a healthy mind and body. We work to achieve this vision by providing legal services to at-risk children and their families and using the knowledge we gain from representing our individual clients to advocate for changes in the law and its implementation. For more information, visit www.childrenslawcenter.org
About Serve DC
The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism The mission of Serve DC is to strengthen and promote the District of Columbia’s spirit of service through partnerships, national service and volunteerism. Serve DC focuses on three areas to accomplish this mission; partnership, national service and volunteerism. For more information, visit www.serve.dc.gov.
Contact: Children’s Law Center Media Liaisons
Rachel Henderson (570-259-2205)
Nicole Arens (917-587-8640)