The Akron Legal News

Capital's renamed FYLaw unveils partner program

TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News
Published: September 2, 2015

The Family and Youth Law Center at Capital University Law School has launched a new partner program to go with its new name.

The center, formerly the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy, debuted the venture in June.

“In structuring the program, we gave a lot of thought to the ways we have traditionally engaged donors, volunteers and supporters and came to the conclusion that we want to transform those relationships into true partnerships involving mutual benefits, ongoing contact and frequent opportunities for interaction,” said FYLaw Executive Director Denise St. Clair. “FYLaw views the program as a way to more meaningfully connect with individuals and organizations that are interested in issues of importance both to families and youth and to the community at large.”

The program’s corporate partnerships are $250 and include an FYLaw staff presentation to corporation employees, a 10 percent discount on FYLaw-sponsored CLEs and CEUs, recognition on the FYLaw website, employee volunteer opportunities and two complimentary tickets to the center’s annual event.

Nonprofit or government agency partnerships include the same benefits, outside of only one ticket to the annual event, and are $100.

The center also offers alumni and individual partnerships.

“The partner program is aimed at a deeper engagement of corporate, firm, nonprofit, alumni and individual partners in the center’s work and the goals,” St. Clair said. “Much of our work is devoted to systemic change to foster better outcomes for children, youth and families involved with child protection and juvenile justice systems. We know that strong community involvement and program endorsement enhance the sustainability of systemic change.”

For that reason, St. Clair said center officials decided to look to community partners, not only for funding support, but as an opportunity for collaboration around mutual goals.

“For example, much of our work now concentrates on youth who have been in foster care or involved with juvenile justice systems,” she said. “It is critical, in order for these youth to have the best chance for successful adult lives, for our community — individuals, businesses, employers, companies — to understand the challenges they face, the things they need to achieve their goals and the importance to them of community acceptance and integration.”

St. Clair said the center is pleased that benefits to its organizational partners are both tangible and intangible.

“Many companies choose to support organizations that can demonstrate change on an individual level,” she said. “There is great satisfaction in knowing a contribution has made a personal difference in the life of a youth or a systems improvement for the well-being of a family.”

In addition to financial support, St. Clair said FYLaw benefits from the partnerships by having their work recognized and publicly endorsed.

“We also benefit when an organizational partner’s staff members volunteer for our programs and lend their personal expertise in needed areas,” she said. “The issues vulnerable youth face are varied and not always strictly legal in nature; we hope to tap in to the expertise of partners in areas such as financial planning, money management and other life skills that are essential for successful independent living.”

St. Clair went on to say the support from alumni and individual supporters of the center is invaluable.

“When we changed our name, over 40 individuals personally participated in the process. We were overwhelmed by the support we received then and continue to receive from these friends of the center,” she said.

In addition to partnerships, the center accepts one-time donations under the new venture.

“This new program has given us the opportunity to think about how FYLaw can be a better and more productive community member, defined in the broadest sense to include our university, law school and local communities, as well as local, state and national child welfare and juvenile justice stakeholders,” St. Clair said. “It has created an impetus for us to explore additional ways in which we can collaborate with individual and organizational partners and leverage their support and expertise to benefit the youth and families our programming serves.”

Partnerships can be activated at any time.

For more information or to register, visit http://familyyouthlaw.org/partner-with-us.php.

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