Lawyer-run program for foster children alters lives
SUZANNE DRISCOLL, standing on the left, a partner at Shutts & Bowen in Ft. Lauderdale, runs the after-school mock trial program and chairs the HANDY scholars committee, which raises funds for needy foster kids to attend college. Because it is a positive experience, the mock trial seems to dispel ingrained fear of the court system, she said. It also provides the students with an opportunity to learn about various job opportunities in the justice arena. Attorneys can help the organization by attending the 10th Annual Scholars Breakfast in May 2015. The fundraising event was sold out this year and raised around $110,000.
Lawyer-run program for foster children alters lives
Associate Editor
Imagine being a defenseless child running down the street to call the police at the neighbor’s house for protection against an abusive stepfather.
Living on the edge of the poverty line in Broward County with his siblings and mother, that child was Terran Vandiver, desperate for help. He had struggled long enough before that 911 call led to relief for his family.
Facing a difficult future, Vandiver was referred by a caseworker to HANDY (Helping Abused Neglected Disadvantaged Youth), the award-winning nonprofit in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, which helped him acquire life skills and get through school. Motivated to graduate from Florida Atlantic University, he decided to become a youth development counselor at HANDY — the program that saved him from traveling down a hopeless path.
“Attorneys and judges are part of our HANDY family in all kinds of different ways,” said CEO Evan Goldman, a Florida Bar member. “We have the only program of its kind — there is no other like it — and it is run by attorneys.”
HANDY kids are some of the most vulnerable in the community. They have been placed in relative or foster care due to domestic violence, substance abuse, physical or sexual abuse, and abandonment. Most, if not all, have been involved in the court system from a young age and have developed an interest in the law through the years.
“We have a robust mock trial program,” Goldman said. “We have attorneys and judges who work with the young people. Not only do they learn about the law, but it develops their confidence.”
Suzanne Driscoll, a partner at Shutts & Bowen, runs the after-school mock trial activities and chairs the HANDY scholars committee, which raises funds for the most needy kids to attend college. Because it is a positive experience, the mock trial seems to dispel ingrained fear of the court system, she said. It also provides the students with an opportunity to learn about various job opportunities in the justice arena.
Judges and lawyers offer many hours of service and financial donations toward HANDY, whose doors are open year-round to provide mentoring, tutoring, and counseling.
Attorneys can help the organization by attending the 10th Annual Scholars Breakfast in May 2015. This year, former Bar President Eugene Pettis received the Champion of Children Award. With 600 people in attendance, the fundraising event was sold out and raised around $110,000.
“There are a lot of ways that attorneys can get involved,” Goldman said.
NextGen, a group of volunteers, is comprised of many young lawyers who organize fundraisers and stir involvement in HANDY. Mentors and volunteers are always welcomed to help tutor students. The scholars committee invites new members to join.
Two satellite locations and one main branch in dramatically underserved Ft. Lauderdale communities provide after-school enrichment for 350 young people per day. The nonprofit has seen remarkable numbers when it comes to student success; 95 percent of participants graduate high school as compared to 26 percent of foster youth not involved. Each year, 1,300 youth benefit from participation.
Goldman emphasized, “You can’t just have a kid that’s been bounced around from placement to placement show up and expect them to succeed in college. We take them to college. We make sure they have what they need for college. We nurture them. We make sure they are OK and have care packages.
“Many of them don’t have families,” Goldman continued, “For them, HANDY is that family.”
