October 10, 2005

Youth Advocates Announce LACY Honorees

Legal Advocates for Children and Youth (LACY) will honor Honorable Dolores Carr, Santa Clara County Superior Court judge and the Morrissey-Compton Educational Center at their 12th Annual LACY Honors luncheon on October 14th.

Each year LACY hosts a luncheon to celebrate an outstanding individual and organization within Silicon Valley who have shown a passion and commitment to improving the lives of children in our community.

Judge Carr will be honored for her innovative approach as the Supervising Family Court Judge and the vision behind the new Unified Family Court. Since her election to the bench, she has sought to address noted gaps in the Family Court system. Judge Carr was instrumental in collaborating with the First 5 Commission to bring case managers, supervised visitation funds, and New Skills and Choices parenting classes and counseling to families in need within the system. In January, Judge Carr commenced her new assignment in Unified Family Court designed to address the family as a whole, minimize conflicting court orders and multiple court appearances.

The second honoree, Morrissey-Compton Educational Center Inc., a not-for profit corporation, provides supportive interventions and assessments for children with learning disabilities and other educational problems. Founders and educational experts Pat Morrissey, Ed.D. and Carolyn Compton, Ph.D. work closely with LACY attorneys and Juvenile Probation and the Department of Family and Children’s Services as part of the collaborative Educational Rights Project to ensure children in the juvenile court system receive appropriate educational services. The staff at Morrissey-Compton also provides training to social workers, foster parents, probation officers, and educational advocates about learning disabilities and special education. For 23 years, Morrissey Compton has also offered a unique summer school program for students who are struggling in school called “Challenge.”

“LACY is pleased to be able to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of these two honorees. Both Judge Carr and the Morrissey-Compton Center are representative of a high standard of quality and excellence in the court system that we believe all children deserve,” says Board Member and Event Chair Scott Maples. “We look forward to celebrating at an enjoyable event with Emcee Don Bleu and Award Presenter Ronnie Lott.”

Tickets for the October 14th luncheon at the Crowne Plaza Cabana, Palo Alto are $195. Tickets may be obtained by sending a check to the “Law Foundation of Silicon Valley” at 111 West St. John Street, Suite 315, San Jose, CA 95113 or calling (408) 280-2433. Visit www.lawfoundation.org for more information.

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LACY provides free legal and related social services for the children and youth of Santa Clara County and encourages the development of legal expertise in child advocacy through training of attorneys, law students and the community. LACY is a program of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, founded in 1974. For further information, contact Erika Brown, Events and Communication Coordinator at (408) 280-2433.

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