5^th Annual Legacy Fundraiser Kicks off with Host Committee Celebration
    
Darlene and Chip Conrad, joined by their son Clay, inspired members of AADD’s 2007 Legacy Breakfast Host Committee recently at a kick-off party held at the home of AADD Board member Marianne Craft and her husband, Frank.  The Conrads are co-chairs for the 2007 Legacy Breakfast, slated for Tuesday, October 23, with registration beginning at 7:00 a.m. and the program beginning at 7:45 a.m.  This year’s event will be held at the Susan and John Wieland Pavilion at The High Museum of Art.
    
“We need for you to invite friends who will open their minds, hearts, and checkbooks to AADD,” said Chip Conrad in his comments to the host committee members.
     
Marianne and Frank Craft, who are former co-chairs of the Legacy event, join a group of notable Atlantans on the host committee including: Sheryl and Richard Arno, Representative Kathleen B. Ashe, Joe and Lisa Bankoff, Robyn and Martin Berger, Lisa and Joseph Blanco, Mose and Teri Bond, Frederick D. Clemenete, Jocelyn Dorsey, Carol Doyle, Ree Hoffman Edwards and Ralph Edwards, Sandy and John Foxworth, Lem and Carolyn Hewes, Latonia Hines, Clay and Jane Jackson, Winston and Deborah Jones, Harriet and Kip Kirpatrick, Nancy and Bruce Kirwan, Nolan and Pat Leake, Cindy and Wayne Lee, Carolyn and Hector Llorens, Mary N. Long, Russell and Bari Love, Laurin and Helen McSwain, James and Mary Jane Outman, Marietta and Skip Petters, Connie and Tom Saddlemire, Chris and Jan Schroder, Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel, Donnie and Harvey Winokur, Bob and Cappa Woodward, and Mary and Tim Yoder.
    
For more information or to respond to your invitation, please contact Matt Pieper, AADD director of development, at mpieper@aadd.org, or 404-881-9777 ext. 232.

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Criminal Justice and Developmental Disabilities Coalition Conference was well attended

   
Demand for attendance at the second annual Criminal Justice and Developmental Disabilities Coalition Conference was so high that organizers had to change venues to accommodate the more than 250 legal and developmental disabilities professionals, parents, and self-advocates attending the September conference.
    
Georgia Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears delivered the keynote address, focusing on the need for all people involved in criminal justice – judges, lawyers, victims, defendants, law officers, and others – to better understand the challenges faced by people with disabilities.
    
In her speech she said, “This is a critical time for all Georgians who are concerned about justice for people with developmental disabilities…too often, our system fails them.”
    
Other speakers included Jim Martin, former state representative, Georgia; William J. Edwards, a deputy public defender with the Los Angeles County Public Defenders Office and an internationally-recognized  proponent of education around Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders; and Deborah Fitzgerald Fowler of Texas Appleseed, which works to improve legal representation of persons with mental illness or intellectual disabilities.
    
AADD was one of several host agencies for the conference and played a leadership role in coordinating it.  “We are proud of the attention focused on issues of criminal justice and developmental disabilities during the conference,” said Mary Yoder, AADD Executive Director.  “Helping legal and judicial professionals understand the barriers to justice that people with developmental disabilities experience is an important focus for our agency.”
   
Major sponsors for the conference included the Georgia Department of Human Resources, GSFIC: Construction & Finance, the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, McKenna Long & Aldridge, and Georgia Community Support & Solutions.  To see a complete list of the sponsors, please click here.

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Second Annual FAS Track 5-K Run~Walk Celebrates International FAS Awareness Day
   
The early-morning registration time of 7:00 a.m. and race start time of 8:09 a.m. was no obstacle to the more than 150 runners and walkers participating in this year’s FAS Track 5 K Run~Walk.
   
“We had a great group of runners and walkers and people who wanted to know more about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).  Women drinking alcohol while pregnant is the leading known preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities.  The event helped us to get the word out about FAS and also raised $17,000 in support of our education program,” said Matt Pieper, AADD Development Director.
   
Major sponsors for the event included Booz Allen Hamilton and Hogan Construction Group, LLC. Media sponsors included WSB-TV, 97.1 The River FM radio, and Skirt! Magazine.  For a complete listing of event sponsors, please click here.

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