This week's meeting coincided with the opening day of the Iowa State Fair. The opportunity to get food on a stick coupled with sunny skies and a temperature of 80 degrees might explain why attendance was a little light at Rotary today. Those of you who were unable to attend missed an opportunity to hear from Mike Sorci, executive director of the Youth Law Center. He gave an informative presentation on the valuable work of his organization. Sorci shared some interesting perspectives regarding what is working well and what it is not when it comes to helping families in need move forward.
After serving as a classroom teacher, Sorci continued to focus on helping children by becoming a lawyer. He has run the Youth Law Center since 1998. The Youth Law Center advocates to transform foster care and juvenile justice systems so every child and youth can thrive. Sorci and his team of six attorneys represent children facing legal issues by working to help children and their families through a myriad of complicated, difficult issues. The Center receives funding from the State of Iowa, the United Way, and from private donors. The Center does not charge clients for the services.
The Youth Law Center in Iowa, like many across the country, was founded shortly after passage of the federal Juvenile Justice Act of 1974. Among other things, the Act mandated legal representation for juveniles and began a restructuring of how legal and family issues are addressed in our country. Sorci and his team advocate for children. In many cases, this advocacy focuses on healing families and providing support so that children and parents remain together. In others, when it is in the best interest of the child, the Youth Law Center seeks to terminate parental rights and move the child into a safer situation.
The six attorneys at the Youth Law Center handled a mind-boggling 1,500 legal cases last year but managed to do so in a manner that has been praised by the courts. Sorci said the Center's cooperative efforts with the school district, social service organizations, and government make it possible for his team to manage the heavy workload. Although, he spoke honestly about the toll working with victims of trauma takes on his dedicated staff. They take great pride in the work they do to help others, but the battles they fight can be arduous and personally draining.
Mike Sorci and his colleagues at the Youth Law Center are silent heroes of our community. They take some of the toughest, yet most important cases. They are the last line of defense for many families. The Center's team is responsible for protecting kids, and they take the lead in helping families regain their footing when bad things happen. We are better because of their work. Rotarians in attendance today were grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about the Youth Law Center.
See you next Thursday at Rotary!