FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Carolina Schwarz

Voices For Children Foundation

Tel: 305.324.5678

Guardian Ad Litem Program recognizes outstanding community volunteers

April 12, 2006- Miami, FL- The 11^th Judicial Circuit Guardian Ad Litem Program and its fundraising arm, Voices For Children Foundation, hosted a banquet celebrating those community volunteers who selflessly speak up for abused, abandoned and neglected children involved in dependency court proceedings. The child advocate champions were honored on Thursday, April 6 at the Alexander Hotel in Miami Beach.

Every year, the Guardian Ad Litem Program presents an extraordinary volunteer with the Spirit of Excellence Award in recognition of going above and beyond to make the system responsive of the needs of the abused, abandoned and neglected children. This year, the award went to Marielle Gomez-Kaifer, Ph.D. Marielle’s compassion for children is unparalleled. Her dedication, commitment and insight are known and respected by attorneys, judges, and the entire Guardian Ad Litem Program staff. Since 2003, she has been assigned to 11 cases with 21 children, and is currently handling six cases simultaneously. Marielle is a mother, a wife, an author, a photographer, and a research chemist who truly exemplifies the spirit of the Guardian Ad Litem Program. The award was presented to her by Judge Cindy Lederman, Administrative Judge of the 11^th Judicial Juvenile Circuit Court, who more often than not calls her to handle the more serious cases before her.

Volunteer Guardians Marie Lou Arroyo, Lisa Better, Sylvia Cherry, Deborah del Castillo, Cyndi Gonzalez, Diane Krell, Marcelle May, and Adam Shore also received awards for the marvelous work they do on behalf of the children in the dependency system. “Volunteers come into this resource-poor and complex foster care system with a vision of what ought to be for kids. They are rightfully outraged at what happens to kids in the system, and work to scale the walls of the bureaucracy to make the system work for each individual child. We are truly honored to have such extraordinary people in our community who speak up as Guardians Ad Litem out of their love for children,” said Joni Goodman, GAL Program’s Executive Director.

The recognition banquet brought together over 250 Guardians Ad Litem, judges and guests in honor of the most extraordinary men and women in our community. Guests were treated to a magnificent dinner followed by a raffle of items donated by the Alexander Hotel and the Sonesta Beach Resort in Key Biscayne. On each table, flower-covered clocks celebrated the time donated by Guardian Ad Litem volunteers on behalf of vulnerable children throughout Miami-Dade. To become a Guardian, call 305.638.6861. For more information, visit www.voices4.org.

Voices For Children Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises funds to ensure that every abused, abandoned and neglected child in Miami-Dade County has a court appointed Guardian Ad Litem and that financial assistance and other resources are available for their accompanying health, educational, and social needs. Guardians Ad Litem are trained, court appointed adults who serve as the representative voice for abused, abandoned and neglected children involved in juvenile court proceedings. While an average of 2,100 children are served by the approximate 500 Guardian Ad Litem volunteers yearly, there are nearly 3,800 children involved in court proceedings who need representation.

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