There is a corner of the court system in Sacramento County where few of us ever set foot the “dependency” departments at the William R. Ridgeway Family Relations Court. Each month, approximately 130 abused and neglected children are removed from their homes and begin their journey through the dependency court system.

Most of these children are represented in their dependency proceedings by the attorneys of Sacramento Child Advocates, Inc. In 1991, Judge Roger Warren recognized the need to have full-time lawyers dedicated to advocating for these children. With a modest grant, Judge Warren established Child Advocates as a non-profit corporation. Today, with a staff of attorneys, social workers and support personnel, Child Advocates provides comprehensive team-based services to these children. The attorneys of Child Advocates have over 4,000 open cases. The importance of the job that these dedicated professionals do cannot be overstated, for as Judge Warren recognized, “How well we meet the needs of abused and neglected children today ... will determine how well they parent the children of tomorrow.”

Standing from left to right: Betsy Kimball (Board of Directors member), Amina Merritt (Acting Executive Director), Bob Wilson (Board of Directors member); sitting from left to right: Joyce Newkirk (receptionist), Janice Montgomery (Supervising Social Worker).

Like most non-profits, securing adequate funding to maintain a high quality of service is an increasing challenge. On April 16, 2005, Child Advocates will put on a fundraising event, its First Annual Taste of Culture and Gold Country Wine Tasting. This event will include wine tasting, foods from different cultures, musical entertainment, silent auction items and artwork from our clients. Donations of auctionable items or services are very welcome. Please look for a future announcement in the Sacramento Lawyer about how to purchase tickets for this event.

If you would like more information about Child Advocates or to make a donation, please contact Amina Merritt, Acting Executive Director, Sacramento Child Advocates, Inc., at 916-364-5686 (amerritt@sacchildadv.com) or either of the two Sacramento attorneys who serve on the Child Advocates Board of Directors, Bob Wilson or Betsy Kimball.