This year Oklahoma’s attorneys were able to increase much-needed funding to organizations that assist with legal needs of Oklahoma’s poor and elderly, abused and neglected children and vulnerable adults, and for provision of law-related educational programs through grants awarded by the Oklahoma Bar Foundation (OBF). Twelve different organizations will receive funding from the Oklahoma Bar Foundation totaling $427,900. The foundation is the official statewide charity for the organized legal community in Oklahoma and celebrates 60 years of service to the profession and to the state during 2006. OBF President Hal Ellis said, “The foundation may well be one of the most understated groups today, working silently behind the scenes for Oklahoma’s children, the poor and our most vulnerable citizens. OBF works on behalf of all Oklahoma lawyers.”

“The outcome we hope to achieve for a client that is a victim of domestic violence, like Anna, is the benefit of zealous legal advocacy to empower the victim to be able to make a permanent break with the abuser,” said Colline Meek, Oklahoma Indian Legal Services executive director. “The OILS Domestic Violence Division has been successful in obtaining protective orders, custody of children, property settlements and other legal remedies.”

The Oklahoma Bar Foundation granted $10,000 for the second consecutive year to aid in expansion of OILS’s work with victims of domestic violence.

Other advocacy and victims programs include –– Tulsa Lawyers for Children will receive $26,900 for partial funding of an administrative legal professional’s services to coordinate, train and mentor new and existing attorney volunteers throughout the children’s representation experience. The remainder will go toward training materials for new volunteer lawyers so more children can be served. The need in Oklahoma’s second largest county far exceeds current resources, and there is no other organization in this geographic area that provides the same or similar services.

Each year CASA volunteers and area directors travel from all across Oklahoma to take part in a statewide, specialized training conference presented by the Oklahoma CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Association. OBF has again awarded $5,000 to the statewide organization to assist with facilities and training materials for the conference.

CASA Executive Director Anna Naukam said, “The public has become familiar with CASA over the past 22 years we have been in operation, and particularly, with the volunteer work that is accomplished through court appointments to look into the best interests of Oklahoma’s abused and neglected children involved in deprived proceedings. Our volunteers help to provide stability and continuity to these children and often may be the one constant in a child’s life.”

Annual mandatory training is required for each volunteer to be able to continue to serve as a CASA volunteer.

The foundation has awarded $30,000 for two pilot Court Appointed Advocates for Vulnerable Adults (CAAVA) programs, one rural and one urban. The CAAVA program uses the successful CASA program as a model coupled with established CAAVA programs in other states. CAAVA volunteers will provide objective information for protection of vulnerable adults against abuse, neglect and exploitation while minimizing their loss of rights.

The Lawton-based SANE of Southwest Oklahoma, that serves Comanche County and surrounding areas, will receive $2,000 for specialized computer equipment needed to be able to provide aid to victims of sexual assault and assist with legal forensic evidence collection for court proceedings. The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner volunteer group has successfully raised funds for establishment of a safe house and materials needed to operate the facility.

Legal Services for the Poor and Elderly awards –– To help stabilize staffing levels and general operations to maintain or increase current service capacity, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma (LASO) will receive the full request amount of $260,000. OBF awarded funding during 2005 to help make it possible for the statewide organization to increase the annual entry-level attorney salary of $25,000 by $5,000.

“Services for Oklahoma’s poor and elderly citizens are important and vitally needed to ensure their effective participation in our state’s important institutions. Our organization works together with OILS and other state justice community partners to maximize access to the justice system for low-income and elderly Oklahomans,” said LASO’s Executive Director Gary A. Taylor.

OILS will also receive $20,000 for expansion of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic services. OILS Low Income Taxpayer Clinic has received acclaim as one of the top eight such clinics in the nation, out of 150 clinics measured, and is the only clinic in the state that is able to offer free legal representation to taxpayers for resolution of tax and financial problems.

The Senior Law Resource Center will receive $8,000 for a legal internship program to foster careers in elder law, set up an online elder law resource center and for printing costs of materials to be distributed free through community workshops. The center is staffed by volunteer attorneys from the Oklahoma City area that are dedicated to providing high-quality, legal information and services to older citizens, their caregivers and persons of all ages preparing for the next phase of life.

Children’s Educational Programs –– The very successful Oklahoma Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Oklahoma High School Mock Trial Program will receive $35,000 for presentation of the 2006-07 program. Students in grades nine though 12 take on the roles of attorneys, plaintiffs and defendants in mock trials heard by actual judges in real courtroom settings. The program is fully staffed by volunteer lawyers and judges from across the state. Every high school in Oklahoma is invited to participate in the program, and this past year 45 high schools fielded 50 teams that included teams from an alternative school and a group home. Students receive invaluable training, leader ship development and gain positive experiences with the legal process as they work on relevant and interesting cases fashioned from today’s headlines.

A different type of student court experience will receive $6,000 in funding to help support Mayes County Youth Court. This type of court program not only provides an excellent learning experience for students but also is a proven and effective delinquency deterrent. The program operates as a legal court of law in which a jury of student-peers sentence first-time juvenile offenders.

“Youth Court is an eye-opening experience for students,” said Ron Gurley of the Mayes County Youth Court. “Our county’s juvenile crime rate is down 72 percent and the recidivism rate is only 12 percent.”

Mayes County Youth Court has expanded to nine different Green Country locations.

The OBA’s Law-related Education PACE (Programs Advancing Citizenship Education) Summer Institute has received an award of $20,000 for the 18th year. The 2007 program has been expanded to include not only specialized training about the Oklahoma court system but also curriculum on the Oklahoma tribal court system. Training is provided to 36 educators and six mentor teachers over a four-day period during the summer by Oklahoma’s judges and legal experts. Oklahoma’s schoolchildren in grades Pre-K through 12 are direct recipients of the program.

The Oklahoma statewide YMCA Youth and Government Program will receive $2,500 to conduct government leadership training for club officers from high schools across the state. The Youth and Government Program is designed to enhance development of the democratic process through the study of public issues, legislation and debate on such issues. The program offers numerous opportunities for student delegates to gain practical experiences in the processes of our government and the rule of law.

OBF has also awarded $2,500 to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum to help sponsor the “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” traveling exhibit brought to Oklahoma by the National Constitution Center. The exhibition will challenge young and old alike to claim the principles of freedom and equal rights in every aspect of life, and the Oklahoma Bar Foundation and attorneys of Oklahoma are pleased to be of assistance in bringing this opportunity to Oklahoma citizens.

An OBF Fellows enrollment form follows to pledge your support for programs such as these. Please contact OBF for additional information at (405) 416-7070 or foundation@okbar.org.