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Pro Bono Awards hosted Tuesday, September 11   

This year, the area's largest recipients of pro bono services, Council for Children's Rights, Legal Aid of North Carolina and Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, hosted the first annual Pro Bono Awards Tuesday, September 11, at 5:30 p.m. at the Charlotte City Club to honor the attorneys who have generously given their time and expertise to local indigent families. This year's Pro Bono Awards was sponsored by Bank of America and Lawyers Weekly. 

George V. Hanna III of Moore & Van Allen was honored with the Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award, a lifetime achievement honor.  The award recognizes an individual whose longstanding and exceptional dedication to pro bono legal service has made a meaningful impact on access to justice in the community and state.

The Outstanding Firm Service Award, recognizing firms whose longtime partnerships and creative contributions have increased the capacities of CFCR, LANC and LSSP in serving local individuals, families and children in need, were awarded to:

• Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo, LLP;
• Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.; and
• Mitchell & Culp, PLLC.

The Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award, honoring attorneys who have contributed a considerable amount of pro bono hours and given local nonprofits the ability to serve more clients and initiate new projects, were awarded to:

• John P. Zimmer of Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP;
• Kate E. Payerle of Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.;
• Deborah L. Edney of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP; and
• Jami J. Farris of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP.

The Outstanding Volunteer Service Award was given to Lesley L. Garafola, a legal manager at Wells Fargo & Company who has volunteered her time as a custody advocate for CFCR for the last 11 years.  

Photo courtesy of David Ramsey Commercial Photography Doug Jarrell, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.; Kate E. Payerle, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.; Deborah L. Edney, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP; George Hanna, Moore & Van Allen PLLC; Evan Sauda, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP accepting on behalf of John Zimmer; Lesley E. Garafola, Wells Fargo & Company; Jeff Kadis, Hedrick Gardner Kincheloe & Garofalo, LLP; Richard Mitchell, Mitchell & Culp, PLLC; Jami J. Farris, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP; Heather Culp, Mitchell & Culp, PLLC

To learn more about this year's winners, please visit Council for Children's Rights website. 

Ready to Read, a literacy plan for Mecklenburg County

The Larry King Center released Ready to Read, a supplement to Unlocking the Potential of a Community: The Plan for School Readiness , which summarizes the work and recommendations of an ad hoc committee dedicated to fostering early learning and literacy skills critical to narrowing the achievement gap.

Decades of research point to the critical years of birth to five as a unique opportunity to influence educational achievement for children and improve our community's viability. Specifically, a child develops key language and literacy skills by the age of three, which predict later reading success and ultimately their chance of completing high school. 

• By the time children from low income families enter kindergarten, they are typically 12-24 months below national norms in language and pre-­reading skills.
• By age three, economically disadvantaged children have been exposed to 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers based upon their language experiences and interactions in their family settings.
• In the average middle income family, there are 13 books per child, in the average low-­-income neighborhood; there is 1 book for every 300 children.  

In Charlotte Mecklenburg, only 53% of economically disadvantaged 3rd grade students read on grade level.  Ready to Read encourages literacy and language skills, which prime developing brains for reading proficiency.  Over 11,000 children enter kindergarten in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools each year.  Join these literacy advocates and program providers in helping young children become Ready to Read.