Hamilton Herald Masthead

Editorial


Front Page - Friday, March 17, 2023

Inns of Court auction raises more than $14,800 for Children’s Advocacy Center




Inns of Court members present a check for funds raised during a charity auction in December to Children’s Advocacy Center staff. - Photograph provided

The Chattanooga Chapter of the American Inns of Court raised $14,848.88 in December during a charity auction to benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center.

The total fundraising effort includes the amounts raised through auction items Inn members purchased at the Dec. 8 Inns of Court event as well as the donations Inn members made.

“Many thanks to the officers and members of the IOC for their generosity and support of kids in our community who have suffered unimaginable abuse,” says Lisa Moore, director of external affairs at the Children’s Advocacy Center.

“The CAC staff is professionally licensed and trained to work with children and families who are working through trauma, but it takes a community to raise the funds needed to provide these specialized services.”

The founders of the Children’s Advocacy Center: The Emmy Haney House established the center as a private nonprofit in 1991. The organization works to provide an environment where abused children and their families can receive every service they need.

The Children’s Advocacy Center aims to enable every child to lead a healthy, productive life, thereby breaking the cycle of abuse.

Nationally accredited by the National Children’s Alliance, the center provides forensic interviews, medical examinations, therapy and family advocacy free of charge.

The Children’s Advocacy Center delivered these services to more kids and families in 2021 and 2022 than ever before. In 2022, the center served 887 children representing every racial, ethnic and socio-economic category from birth to age 18.

Since opening its doors in 1991, the Children’s Advocacy Center has seen over 30,000 children.

Local judges and attorneys, as well as area shops, restaurants and artists, donated the auction items at the Inns of Court event.

“The Chattanooga chapter of the Inns of Court has a long history of philanthropy. We’re fortunate to have found wonderful organizations to partner with every year and to have a member base that prioritizes generosity,” says Inns of Court President Ariel Anthony, in-house counsel at Unum.

Anthony praises the work of this year’s IOC auction committee, which she says “exceeded expectations at every opportunity and made the 2022 auction a tremendous success.”

More than 150 lawyers and judges belong to the Chattanooga chapter of the Inns of Court. The organization aims to improve the skills, professionalism, ethics and civility of the bench and bar.

To learn more about the local Inn and its programs, contact Anthony at AAnthony2@unum.com.