Meetings

July is New Rotary Year Month

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WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES

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ROTARY CLUB OF
Atlanta West End

LEADERSHIP

Program Speaker: Judge Wenona C. Belton

AWER President Rose Caplan thanked all present and welcomed everyone to AWER’s first meeting of RY2024.  Rose presented Judge Wenona C. Belton of the Fulton County Juvenile Court as our speaker. Judge Belton presented the Mission of her court:  First, to protect children and the community in matters brought before the court and to restore families, and second, and to create opportunities for the community, partners, and stakeholders to actively engage in this [the Court’s] Mission.  She emphasized the importance of unifying the family including verifying that both the child and her/his parent want to be together.  Poverty erects major barriers because it leads to homelessness which, if a possibility, carries be a setback, so it to be avoided – but no easy task. Judge Belton noted that reaching good outcomes requires (a) good legal defense support for the child, (b) the family’s likelihood for being able to fulfill its commitments, intervention and representations for change by the child’s lawyer, and (c) participation by Court Appointed Special Advocates – CASA.

CASA is volunteer support system in all (but one) of the 159 Georgia counties supporting the courts in making the best decision for the child. In addition, Belton mentioned  guardian ad litem who are individuals assisting the court further in assuring a good decisions are arrived at. She noted the importance of the child’s lawyer especially when the child does not have the verbal skills to express matters important to her/him. The court seeks forces and individuals to ensure a [more]