So what in the world is the Mecklenburg Guardian ad Litem Advocacy Foundation???

If you have read my previous post (So what in the world is a Guardian ad Litem?) , I spent some time describing the Guardian ad Litem program, and would now like to spend some time on the Mecklenburg Guardian ad Litem Advocacy Foundation (which will be called GALA Foundation for the rest of this post). Although most of my efforts pertain to promoting the Guardian ad Litem program, I do work for the GALA Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Charlotte, NC.

The mission of the GALA Foundation is to: raise community awareness about the issue of child abuse and neglect in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region, by way of, promoting the Guardian ad Litem Program, assisting with volunteer recruitment, and supporting the work of the Guardian ad Litem volunteers.

In 2004, a group of Guardian ad Litem (GAL) volunteers realized there was a need for more community awareness and resources for children in the foster care and court system. Thus the group took the initiative to form a foundation which would serve to bridge some of the gaps in the children’s care through supporting the GAL volunteers. Consequently, the GALA Foundation was established in April of 2005.  Currently, the GALA Foundation is comprised of a five-member, volunteer Board of Directors, and three AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer staff members.