The Atlanta Lawyer December/January 2020 | Page 17

IN THE PROFESSION What is one of your favorite GAIN events? Every year in December, GAIN hosts an annual holiday celebration event for our clients and their families. It is a special event which empowers our clients and brings hope to them during the holidays. A d d i t i o n a l l y, holiday gifts are donated for the parents so that their children have the opportunity to find gifts for their parents or caretakers. This year, our toy drive was even more special because the Atlanta Bar Association and attorneys donated books to the event which added value to the event. Finally, the biggest surprise for our clients was when Santa and his elves arrived at the event. Chief Judge Christopher J. McFadden (Court of Appeals and former President of the Atlanta Bar Association), was our very special jolly Santa! Seeing the joy, hope and happiness of the families fills the hearts of our GAIN team and volunteers. and help us grow in stability and in strength. Plus, those who speak multiple languages can volunteer to translate or interpret for our clients, and anyone can help us collect toys and wrap gifts for our annual holiday client appreciation event. It takes everyone — from donors to volunteers absent from school and, as a result, either become involved with the local juvenile court or are referred for early intervention at the school level. By getting absentees back in school, TIP volunteers provide their young (the average age is nine) clients a chance at happy and productive lives and prevent TIP children to realize their potential. What are one of your favorite TIP events? One of our meaningful and exciting events is our annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon held at Legal Aid's Picturing Justice Exhibit Room. This is a happy occasion for TIP to celebrate its lifeblood, its fabulous volunteers, and honor individuals, firms/ departments, and organizations which have contributed especially during the course of the school year. "The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others." How are individuals able to join GAIN? I’m so glad you asked, because we truly need that support! Attorneys who are barred in any state in the United States can take on GAIN cases and help our clients pro bono. We could not do our work without their partnership, and that is so important, but it is not the only option. We also need donors to invest in the future of GAIN - Gandhi our staff a nd B oards adverse outcomes detrimental to make a difference to them and our community, for the clients we serve. e.g. dropouts comprise 82% of Georgia prison inmates and on a national scale over 75% www.georgiaasylum.org/ of all crimes committed are Monica Khant, GAIN committed by people who have [email protected] dropped out of school. t o — How are individuals able to join TIP? What are your plans for Please go to our website and 2020? you will see the dates for two What is TIP and what does it accomplish? The Truancy Intervention Project (TIP) strives to decrease chronic absenteeism by pairing trained volunteers with children and their families to provide them with the advocacy, resources and services necessary to ensure good attendance and success in school. Originating in TIP provides intervention children who Fulton County, resources and services to are chronically Since its inception, TIP has served almost 11,000 children with an overall 85% success rate. Almost 2,000 trained volunteers throughout the state, both attorneys and non-attorneys have given their time and talent to help these children. We anticipate 2020 will be a year of milestones: we will accept our 11,000th child referred. Our trained volunteers will continue representing chronic absentees from Fulton County Juvenile Court and from 17 partner elementary schools to create a positive culture around school attendance. Lastly, through mentoring and positive reinforcement, we will encourage/enable all major trainings, conveniently held at the State Bar of Georgia, Fulton County Juvenile Court, or at a major law firm or law department. In between major trainings, we will bring training to groups of 10 or more. PLEASE NOTE, with respect to all trainings, that we consistently need BOTH LAWYER AND NON LAWYER VOLUNTEERS. Finally, all interested parties are encouraged to talk to the hundreds of TIP volunteers in the Atlanta Legal Community about their unique experiences. www.truancyproject.org/ Adrian Wright, TIP [email protected] www.atlantabar.org THE ATLANTA LAWYER 17