Foundation

A Newsletter from the

our mission is to fund the advancement of justice by improving access, education and accountabilty.

BriefGala 2013 Wrap Up

sPrING 2013

Celebrating Legal Accomplishments, Achieving Historic Resultsthe heart of the Bar keeps beating because of many things – the support received, grantees funded and the lives changed. the south Carolina Bar foundation showed its gratitude during the seventh annual gala, which could have only been described as a celebration. It was an evening that honored legal achievements, displayed the impact of foundation grantees and generated more than $62,000 in support for the programs that advance justice in south Carolina.

The Heartbeat of Success Approximately 325 guests filled the Columbia marriott’s Carolina Ballroom to enjoy a silent auction, dinner and program that honored the Nifty fifty of the south Carolina Bar. seventeen members of the class of 1963 and their guests spent time reminiscing about their days of yesteryear and enjoyed the opportunity to reunion in a pre-event reception. supreme Court Justice Kaye G. hearn beamed as she presented the honors to the Nifty fifty and awarded the ellen hines smith legal services lawyer of the Year Award to Greenville’s Kirby r. mitchell. south Carolina Bar President Angus macaulay proudly shook hands with Jason s. luck as he was presented with the south Carolina Bar Pro Bono lawyer of the Year Award. following the awards, Bar foundation President Jack D. Griffeth took a few moments to remember the life of martha B. Dicus, a well-respected public servant. Continued on Page 2

(from left to right) Nifty Fifty members William M. Hagood III, Hemphill P. Pride II and Joe Roof meet at the Nifty Fifty reception.

Gala guests gather in the grand hall to view the items in the silent auction.

From left to right—Back row: William M. Hagood III, James A. Stuckey Jr., Eddie R. Harbin, C. Gordon McBride, Colden R. Battey Jr., William S. Nelson II, O. Doyle Martin, Theron G. Cochran, G. Flynn Bowie; Front row: Joe Roof, Kenneth L. Holland, Hemphill P. Pride II, F. Smith Pruitt, Edward K. Pritchard Jr., Arthur L. Gaston, William A. Little.

Gala 2013 Wrap Up Continued from Page 1

The Heartbeat of Impact when Constance Brown, a sistercare client, began telling her story, tears slowly fell from the eyes of listeners that filled the ballroom. she illustrated the abuse she endured, described the anxiousness she felt after leaving and explained how her attorney, funded by the Bar foundation, was an integral part of the team that saved her life. she is now the owner of a small local business and a newly published children’s book author. Another story of success followed as Alan lee, a participant in the YmCA Youth in Government program, described his journey from Korea to America and shared the announcement of his recent appointment to the Us Naval Academy.

The Heartbeat of SupportJudge Alexander m. sanders, the event’s honorary chair, provided the keynote address. his words encouraged lawyers to support the foundation, noting the opportunity to change lives. “If the Bar cannot or will not finance the continued work of the foundation, then we have lost forever what it means to be a profession,” said Judge sanders. Judge sanders’ words led to the foundation’s first live auction where gala attendees could pledge a gift that would support a Bar foundation grantee. the billable hour auction generated upwards of $24,000. In addition, the Bar foundation heralded Collins & lacy, PC, Justice Kaye G. hearn, rep. George m. hearn Jr. and Andrea e. loney for their support as liberty legacy donors.

the foundation thanks sponsors – Collins & lacy, PC, the Charleston school of law and the multiple law firms – for being a major part of the foundation’s success. the ability to support grantees despite low IoltA revenue would not have been possible without that critical support. If you were not able to be a part of the Gala, there is still a chance to join in the celebration. Donations to support the foundation’s 18 grantees that provide civil legal services to the poor, law related education opportunities or otherwise improve the administration of justice may be made at www.scbarfoundation.org.

Jason S. Luck smiles as he is presented with the South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year Award.

The Hon. Alexander M. Sanders concludes the program with some motivational words for gala guests.

Guests applaud Rhett Dunaway as he is recognized on behalf of Martha B. Dicus.

Constance Brown shares her story of triumph over her abusive ex-husband and how her life has changed because of Sistercare.

Bar Foundation President Jack Griffeth welcomes guests to the gala. Kirby R. Mitchell humbly accepts the Ellen Hines Smith Legal Services Lawyer of the Year Award.

Guests pose for the camera before entering the grand ballroom for dinner.

Going… Going… GONE!One component of the gala is the silent auction. This year, the auction alone generated upwards of $7,000. The generous people and organizations that donated to the auction are listed below. If you have a chance to support them, please be sure to thank them for their contributions to the event.

Businesses Donating Goods/Services:

Additional items donated by:

Abacus Planning Group Adventure CarolinaAmC theatres Dutch square 14Art smart AcademyBath & Body worksBlue marlin in the VistaBrittons of ColumbiaCarolina Ale houseCarolina fine JewelryCarolina music Academythe Colbert report Columbia’s Ballroom CompanyColumbia Charlotte shuttle, Inc.Columbia City BalletColumbia marriott DowntownColumbia museum of ArtCottage & VineDems Jewelry

DiPratosDonna’s houseed robinson Dry Cleanersfrank’s Car washGreek BoysGreen mountain CoffeeGwynn’s in mt. Pleasant hampton hill Athletic Clubhampton Inn Downtown historic

District hilton Columbia Centerhistoric Charleston foundationhistoric Columbia foundationhyatt regency Greenvillethe Inn at UsCJamestown CoffeeJust the thingthe little Gym

mack homemad Platter mast General storemotor supply Company Bistromy Gym Children’s fitness (sandhills)Non(e)suchthe oak table out of hand outback steakhousePaul D. sloan Interiors the Picture Place Pink sorbetProfessional Printers reeds Jewelersruth’s Chrisryan’s steakhousesakitumithe sanctuary

sarah DippitysC Bar Cle DivisionsC Bar foundationsea Island Builderssheraton Columbia Downtown hotel south Carolina Aquariumsouthern wooden Keepsakesspringhill suites Columbia/VistatD Banktonic salon & Day spatown theatretownship Auditorium trustus theatreUsC school of musicUptown Giftsworkshop theatre

rob Braithwaitemayor steve Benjaminhon. susan edwardselaine fowlerJack Griffeth

michelle and mason hardyKathy hartzogwallace lightseyAmy landers maywalt mcleod

steve and Cindy ouztsmarie louise ramsdale hon. Alex sanders and Zoe sandersshannon willis scruggsJim sheedy

Katherine sobeyPete strommike willis

But… an auction is only as good as those who are making bids. The Foundation is grateful to these tenacious bidders for their support. They went home with some wonderful “goodies,” but it was their willingness to bid that made the auction a true success.

Boone and robin AikenColden BatteyJoe Berryrobin Blumerad and sarena Burchlee CoggiolaJack CohoonJoel Collinsmichael and Christi CoxKevin and ruth CunnupBruce and Debbie Deutschmannelaine fowlerrobert and rebecca Goingswilliam hagood III

eddie harbinJustice Kaye hearn and George hearnhon. tommy hughston Jr.william littlehon. James lockemytyler lorickAngus macaulayVirginia manningmarc and rose manoslynn snowber-mariniNancy mcCormickJustice Costa Pleiconesedward Pritchard Jr.Jennifer rainville

marie-louise ramsdaleshannon willis scruggsPeter and mary shahidhon. Paul short Jr.Juliana sobeyeve stacyDave and susan stewartfred and Judy suggsrachelle taylortana Vanderbilthon. John waitesricci welcheric wellstiger and Christine wells

New to this year’s gala was the billable hour auction. For the purposes of the live auction, one billable hour was equal to $100. Our hats are off to Marie-Louise Ramsdale who served as the billable hour auctioneer. The Foundation is grateful to these individuals who participated.

Boone AikenDan BallouColden Batteysue BerkowitzJoe Berryeric Blandrob Braithwaitesandy Bridgesmitch Brownthomas BruceBev CarrollGeorge CauthenKenneth Childstheron Cochran

lee CoggiolaJack CohoonDavid DuffPeter DworjanynCathy faireyelaine fowlerwilliam freemanArthur Gastonrobert GoingsJack Griffethsteve Griffethherb hamiltonJustice Kaye hearn/George hearnstan lacy

Dennis lynchAngus macaulaymarc and rose manosKeith martensAmy landers mayCliff mcBridehenry mcKellarwalt mcleodJulie mooseAlice Payloredward Pritchard Jr.Andrea rocherebecca rosershannon willis scruggs

mary shahideve staceyPeter stromJim stuckeyfred suggsstacy taylorGeiza Vargas-Vargasricci welchtravis wheelerAlana and Derrick williamsmarshall winnAmos workman

Gala attendees raised their programs to support Bar Foundation grantees during the billable hour auction, which generated more than $24,000.

Just Needing a Second Chance: South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families’ Alternative to Incarceration Program

“howard” felt like the walls were closing in around him. he knew he was getting ready to face time behind bars. he also knew that the jail sentence would not put him any closer to being able to pay child support, but what else was he to do? thankfully, the judge had another idea. she ordered howard to the south Carolina Center for fathers and families’ Alternative to Incarceration (AtI) program. As he was led to another room in the court house to meet with fatherhood staff, he felt a slight sense of hope.

howard is one of many men who have come before a judge for not being able to pay or falling behind in child support. the stereotypical name of “dead beat dad” is often used but, in many cases, that nomenclature does not accurately describe a father like howard. A 2006 study done by Duke University and the University of wisconsin revealed that fathers could not meet the financial needs of their children due to incarceration, unemployment and a lack of resources. the study found that fathers supported their children if they had the means to do so. that is where the south Carolina Center for fathers and families (the Center) steps in — changing the lives of men and their children. the Center has been one of the south Carolina Bar foundation’s Administration of Justice grantees since 2007.

It Makes More than Centsthe Center is responsible for the oversight and administration of six fatherhood programs in eleven locations in south Carolina. AtI is just one component of these fatherhood programs that provide a different strategy for non–violent, low–income fathers who are behind in paying child support. fathers are either court ordered into the program or may enter voluntarily. In either situation, once enrolled, the father has a much better chance of meeting his financial obligations to his children. And, even more, graduating fathers end up reconnecting with their children. the successful AtI program must have excellent relationships with the family Court, Child support enforcement and the Department of social services. the Center has worked tirelessly to educate judges and others in the child services system on the societal benefits of having a father in the program verses being sent to jail. when fathers are actively enrolled in the program versus being incarcerated for an average of six months, there are measurable savings and financial benefits to the families of these non–violent offenders and society in general. over the past 12 months, 684 non–custodial parents were enrolled in the AtI program. of the 684, only 133 (19%) dropped out or were terminated for non–compliance with the program.

In addition to the cost savings cited in figure 1, a father who is enrolled in the Center’s AtI programs earns a livable wage so that they can pay child support.

High Expectationsenrolling in an AtI program is no “get out of jail free” card. the expectations placed on fathers who participate are not insignificant. fathers must work. If they are under–employed or unemployed, part of their time in the program is spent readying themselves for the work force. Preparation can include anything from completing GeD requirements, getting fathers ready for workKeys testing — a job skills assessment system — and taking part in skills training courses. to assist the fathers through this process, each fatherhood program has an on–site job recruiter. the recruiter’s role is critical as he or she serves as the liaison between the fatherhood program, local companies that are willing to hire fatherhood program participants as well as all of the entities that are providing training and support to the fathers.

In addition to getting and maintaining a job, fatherhood program participants must take part in weekly group meetings. these meetings provide dads with practical advice on responsible fatherhood and a plethora of issues such as effective communication, understanding child support and legal system and parenting. such services would not be a part of a father’s life if he was behind bars.

for howard, working with his job recruiter was a game changer. he began to see and feel differently. with the support of the recruiter, howard was able to earn livable wage employment in the field of construction. Not only did howard’s job help him meet his child support obligations, but he was also able to start attending college evening classes. he later went on to receive hVAC certification and has since secured employment in that field. howard also made great strides with his daughter, spending more time with her and reconnecting as a family. As of July 2011, howard had reduced his child support debt to zero and is currently showing a surplus.

By Shannon Willis Scruggs and Patricia Littlejohn

Reprinted from the Winter 2013 VOL. 16, NO. 3 edition of the ABA Magazine, Dialogue.

FIGURE 1

Cost to operate ATI component in 11 locations: $ 928,509

Estimated cost to have incarcerated participants*: $4,408,000

Net cost savings: $3,479,491

ChilD Support GeNerAteD

Paid in on–going child support while in the program:

$704,000

Earned gross wages while in the program: $2,301,282

Total benefit to families and the economy: $3,005,282

*the south Carolina Department of Corrections reported an increase in costs to $8000 per inmate from a 6–month detention

TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGYUsing Technology to Augment Servicesone characteristic of any successful organization is its ability to modify and adapt. the Center does an exceptional job understanding the barriers fathers face and how those barriers can evolve over time. for example, an initial issue for staff was in determining how to quickly assess the eligibility of fathers who were court ordered into the program. It was essential that staff be able to respond quickly to family Court judges who wanted to order men into the program. to address this, the Center determined that taking laptop computers into the court room would allow for “on– site” assessment such as criminal background checks and other possible pending charges. the use of the laptops also increased the credibility of the fatherhood AtI option throughout the family Court system as the Center was able to standardize procedures across each of the fatherhood sites. In addition, the Center determined that the laptops would benefit the presentations made when meeting with community and employment partners.

Boot Campone issue exacerbated by today’s tough economic climate was that more fathers were entering an AtI program unemployed. they were not able to compete for jobs in the flooded job market. In general, the fathers in the program did not have the skills or experience to compete with other more qualified job seekers. In response, the Center began to work with fatherhood program directors to enhance the job readiness component of the AtI program. the Center hosted a full day meeting to strengthen the employment component so that it met the demands of employers. Center staff assessed the current curriculum, community resources, local employment needs and the capacity of fathers. the outcome of the meeting was the development of an employment Boot Camp. the Boot Camp is an intensive one–week focus on job readiness and how fathers can access workforce Investment Act services. the Center staff researched other effective job program curricula in order to develop the most effective job readiness program content to serve the fatherhood program population with multiple barriers to employment. the final model offers a consistent approach to preparing unemployed participants to deal with the world of work. they must complete the Boot Camp in order to access employment opportunities identified by the job recruiters.

Technology and TeammatesAs the economy continued to decline, the Center began to see that even more fathers were having trouble meeting child support obligations and needed to seek modifications. however, the opportunity for a father to receive a modification through Child support enforcement or the Court was further complicated due to the backlog of cases. to address this issue, the Center’s goal was to ensure that child support orders were set consistent with the non–custodial parent’s ability to pay. realistic orders based on the father’s ability to pay would increase the likelihood that fathers would be able to make payments. the Center applied for funding from the office of Child support enforcement to develop collaborative strategies so low–income non–custodial and custodial parents affected by child support obligations have an increased access to child support modification in a reasonable timeframe. the cadre of partners included the south Carolina Department of social services Child support enforcement Division (CseD), south Carolina legal services, south Carolina Court Administration, the south Carolina Access to Justice Commission and the south Carolina Bar foundation. As a team, the Center worked to develop an accessible avenue to child support modification via the pro se process. As of this writing, the partners are now working to automate the pro se forms through hotDocs and A2J™ guided interview software. It is anticipated that, in early 2013, the Center’s work with child support modification through the pro se process will be underway.

A GOOD INvESTMENT IN DADSthe AtI effort funded in part by the foundation has served as a model in the importance of investing in such programs for non–violent, low–income fathers. the investment of IoltA support gives fathers the opportunity to have a second chance with their kids by putting child support dollars in the hands of the neediest citizens of south Carolina.

Shannon Willis Scruggs is the executive Director of the south Carolina Bar foundation and the current President of the National Association of IoltA Programs (NAIP).

Patricia Littlejohn is the executive Director of the south Carolina Center for fathers and families.

Katharine Swinson Named Goldberg Scholar Katharine swinson of Great falls, Va., has been named the I.m. Goldberg scholar. swinson earned her BA in elementary education from the University of south Carolina and her Juris Doctor from the UsC school of law. she hopes to practice family law post-graduation. the Goldberg scholarship was created by the sC Bar foundation in honor of I.m. Goldberg, a well-known family law practitioner in Charleston. the scholarship fund provides a $500 award to a deserving University of south Carolina law student each year.

the foundation is grateful to sheran rittenberg and hellman & Yates, PA for recent contributions made to the Goldberg fund. Please watch for future information showcasing I.m. Goldberg and his outstanding legal career. Dean Wilcox (left) and Foundation Director Shannon Willis Scruggs (right)

present Katharine Swinson (center) with a plaque honoring her as the Goldberg Scholar.

Tribute Gifts

Po Box 608, Columbia, sC 29202

Non-Profit org.U.s. Postage

PAIDColumbia, sC

Permit No. 104

Donor form

Three ways to remit payment1. masterCard/Visa – complete form above 2. online at www.scbarfoundation.org 3. send a check, payable to the foundation, to the address below:

sC Bar foundation, Attn: ms. shannon w. scruggs, Po Box 608, Columbia, sC 29202

Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________Phone:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________e-mail: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________Gift Amount: $ _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Check: (please make payable to sC Bar foundation and mail to address below) Credit Card: (masterCard or VIsA only)Card holder’s Name: __________________________________________________________________________________________Card Number: ________________________________________________________________________________________________exp. Date____________ security Code: ___________ Zip Code:______________ Authorized signature: ________________________________________________________________________________________

T H A N K YO U F O R YO U R S U P P O R T !

Designation (choose one): Apply my gift where it is needed most Children’s fund Disabled lawyers fund Brewer Professionalism fund

Other information: my gift is a tribute gift in honor/memory of:

Name _______________________________________ City ____________________________ state______

I have included the Bar foundation in my will. I am a member of the YlD and my gift is $300

which qualifies me to be listed in the Young lawyer legacy.

the Bar foundation gratefully acknowledges those who have made gifts in tribute of a colleague or friend of the Bar for the period february 1 through April 30, 2013. Names in bold denote the honoree.

IN MEMORY OF…Charles E. BakerKirby D. shealy III

C. Thomas Cofield IIIlowell w. ross

Hon. Louis E. Condonmarie V. Condon

James Daniel “Jay” Cooper III

Barbara wofford-Kanwat

Ajerenal Danleyrussell t. Infinger

Martha B. Dicus thomas J. Quinneve m. stacey

Richard G. Dusenburymr. and mrs. mark w. Buyck Jr.

Dean A. Eichelbergerrussell t. Infinger

Luther C. Elrod IIIJack G. leader

George N. Funderburkrussell t. Infingerryan s. montgomery

Julian H. Gignillatr. read Gignilliat

Thomas Kemmerlin Jr. leslie A. Cotter Jr. robert J. thomas

Dr. Harry M. Lightsey Jr.lowell w. ross

Robert P. Wilkins Sr.marion Brooks-ByrdKirk w. Keevermary K. mandevilleD. laurence mcIntosh

Robert P. Wilkins Sr. continued

Pamela J. robertsrobert J. thomasheather s. weiss

IN HONOR OF…Hon. Robert H. Burnsidethomas J. Quinn

Professor John P. Freemanms. Paula G. Bensonrep. francis G. Delleney Jr.senator larry A. martinmr. h. Donald sellersms. Jane o. shulerms. e. Katherine wellsmr. Bradley s. wright

Harold W. JacobsJulian J. Nexsen Jr.

Jason S. LuckGeorge B. Cauthen

Julius W. McKay – 90th birthday

Abacus Planning Group

Kirby R. MitchellGeorge B. Cauthen fredrick w. PheilC. Diane smock

J. Robert Turnbull Jr. Ballard watson weissenstein