Speak Up for Children 2022: A Resounding Commitment from Our Community
On Thursday, October 6th, 2022, our community gathered under the stars in support of the Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina (CLC) and the children and families we serve. Leaders and guests from across our region gathered at our annual fundraising event to honor this year’s Outstanding Volunteer Award recipient, Valerie Thompson, and Outstanding Supporter Award recipient, North Carolina Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (NC IOLTA). Valerie has been a volunteer with our organization since 2014 and shared her dedication and commitment to helping young people recognize the value of their gifts, develop a sense of self-worth, and achieve their dreams. North Carolina IOLTA has been supporting the CLC since 2007 by awarding grants to our organization, which has enabled us to expand both our Forsyth County and Guilford County presence.
In addition to the awards we presented, we were joined by three distinguished guest speakers, each of whom was able to share their unique experience in working with the Children’s Law Center and the impact of our vital work in the community. The Honorable Lisa Menefee, retired Forsyth County Chief District Court Judge, shared insight into not only the great work of the CLC she saw from her time on the bench over the years, but also about the impact of our services and the critical importance of our continued presence in the court system. Catherine Johnson, Director of the Guilford County Family Justice Center, spoke about the impact we are having in Guilford County and the benefits she sees on an ongoing basis as well as the opportunity to grow our presence in the Guilford County community. Finally, Jim Gallaher, Staff Attorney with the Children’s Law Center, shared personal experiences of working with the children in our program and the impact that the CLC can have on a child’s life and making a child’s voice heard.
The Children’s Law Center would like to recognize Speak up for Children Honorary Event Chairs, Bill and Penny Spry, our Event Chairs, Mimi Bennett, Dawn Nelson and Abigail Seymour, as well as our entire Event Planning Committee, Board of Directors and all the volunteers who made this gathering of the CLC community possible. We are grateful for the support of our Presenting Sponsor, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, and all of our corporate and individual sponsors.
The event raised over $142,000 in critical funds for the Children’s Law Center to advocate for the most vulnerable members of our community. Thank you to all who contributed to making this wonderful night a success.
