Distinguished Guests Make Good Apple: Amplified! a Night to Remember
From keynote speaker Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum to Sally Yates to Ambassador Andrew Young, Good Apple: Amplified! on April 23, 2021, was an evening full of meaningful messages and heartfelt connections. Our guests gathered virtually from across the country and celebrated Georgia Appleseed’s mission and successes.
We were thrilled to raise $213,000 toward our $225,000 goal for the event. Thank you to our sponsors and donors who made this possible. And if you haven’t given yet, please make a gift today. Your gift supports programs and advocacy that keep kids in school and out of the criminal justice system and ensure that all children and their families have access to safe, healthy homes.
See the full line up of guests and watch a recording of Good Apple: Amplified! on our website.
Pictured above top row left to right: Harold Franklin, Board Chair (King & Spalding); Michael Waller, Executive Director, Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. Bottom row: Tori Silas, Board Vice Chair (Smith, Gambrell & Russell)
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We're Hiring
Join our team! We're hiring for the following positions to support our FAIR (Fairness, Advocacy, and Individualized Representation) Project for children in foster care:
You can find the full job descriptions on our website. Both positions will be filled as soon as a qualified applicant is identified and has accepted the position.
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Georgia Appleseed Working Group Issues Trauma Assessment Recommendations for Children in Care
Beginning August 2021, Georgia’s public schools must perform a trauma assessment for every child in foster care who enrolls. Schools will use the assessments to determine the impacts of trauma on the child’s academic and behavioral performance. A 2019 law (HB 855) created the new requirement and directed the Georgia State Board of Education (State Board) to pass implementing regulations and the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) to issue related guidance for school districts.
Georgia Appleseed led a Georgia Education Climate Coalition (GECC) working group that drafted and submitted to the GaDOE proposed guidelines that would direct districts in best practices for assessment, trauma-informed student supports, and inter-agency coordination. Working group members regularly meet with representatives from GaDOE, DFCS, and local foster care points of contact to identify implementation challenges and help determine solutions for anticipated barriers.
If you would like to learn more about our work around HB 855, contact Staff Attorney Lashawnda Woods-Roberts at lwroberts@gaappleseed.org.
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Lifting Voices of Impacted Tenants
The Clayton County Homelessness Intervention Program (HIP) brings together court and public school officials, the county commission, tenant advocates, educators, and nonprofit service providers to create solutions for healthy housing in Clayton County. HIP has helped leverage close to $10 million for tenants facing eviction during the pandemic. Over the next few months, HIP will engage impacted individuals in focus groups to learn how best to serve families in need of healthy housing.
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Keeping Foster Youth in School: Tribunal Volunteer Lawyers Network
The work of pro bono attorneys in our Tribunal Volunteer Lawyers Network (TVLN) is more important than ever. Compared to last year, we are seeing almost double the requests for representation of youth in care facing Tribunals – due process hearings for long-term suspension or expulsion of a child.
Thanks to representation by TVLN attorneys, these children are seeing better outcomes and their schools are improving their efforts to support children in care.
More children will need TVLN attorneys this summer. Many schools are holding summer school sessions to help students catch up after over a year of virtual learning.
If you are interested in being a volunteer lawyer for student tribunal hearings, please fill out our pro bono interest form.
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Join Us in Welcoming Micah Moon and Kate Swett
Georgia Appleseed is glad to welcome Micah Moon to the Board of Directors and Kate Swett as the Finance and Human Resources Manager.
Micah Moon may be the newest member of the Board, but he’s a familiar face at Georgia Appleseed! Before joining the Board of Directors, he served as President of the Executive Committee for Georgia Appleseed’s Young Professionals Council and assisted Georgia Appleseed in several of its legal and policy projects, including efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of Georgia’s revised Juvenile Code and improve police-community relationships in Georgia. Micah is Senior Corporate Counsel at Delta Air Lines and a proud graduate of Morehouse College. He holds a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.
Kate Swett joins Georgia Appleseed with decades of financial operations experience and a commitment to social justice. A Georgia native, her career has included work at nonprofits, corporations, consulting firms engaged in justice and reform initiatives, and most recently running her own business, providing a full range of communications, operations, and financial management services for her clients. Of her new role, she says, “I see my position at Georgia Appleseed as an opportunity to bring my expertise to a team that is doing work fundamentally in alignment with my values and desire to do more.”
Welcome, Micah and Kate!
Pictured: Micah Moon (Delta Air Lines)
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Additional Resources
Below are a handful of links that we hope will help connect people to the resources they need at this time:
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Interfaith Children’s Movement is now accepting applications through June 7 for their youth academy for ages 12 to 18: Youth Alliance Academy for Social Justice
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Help Guides for Children with Behavior and Learning Challenges—Easy-to-read guides on school-based topics including discipline, learning disabilities, and more. Las Guías de ayuda de Georgia Appleseed para niños con problemas de comportamiento y aprendizaje ya están
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Tribunal Representation—Caseworkers and caregivers can request pro bono representation for kids in care who are facing school disciplinary hearings.
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(866) 399-8938—This COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline is available to all Georgians from 8:00 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
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211—Calling 211 or searching the website can help you find food, pay housing bills, access childcare, and more.
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Atlanta Legal Aid—This resource list includes information about court closings, emergency food help, and more.
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Georgia Department of Education—This DOE site includes links to school closure information and online learning resources.
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Voices for Georgia’s Children—Voices has put together a robust list of news and resources around COVID-19, including financial resources, food assistance, closures, guidance on talking to children about the pandemic, and more.
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Children's Healthcare of Atlanta—CHOA's Strong4Life resource page provides parenting guidance for the COVID-19 era, including how to talk about social distancing with kids, avoiding injuries during isolation, and much more.
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Deepen Your Work by Engaging in Meditation for Change Agents: Caroline Durham, our Legal and Policy Director, has been leading meditation programs for lawyers, activists, and change agents for more than 10 years. Her meditation practice began more than 15 years ago while serving as a public defender. Take a moment to ground and strengthen your work life by joining us. No experience necessary. For more information, contact Caroline at cdurham@gaappleseed.org.
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CoxCampus.org—This site provides excellent resources for teachers and parents on language skills and literacy.
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Georgia Appleseed Needs Your Support
At Georgia Appleseed, we focus on dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and advocating for healthy housing because we believe these areas are powerful leverage points for meaningful, systemic change.
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