New Haven lawmakers honored

State Sen. Toni Harp and Rep. Toni E. Walker, both D-New Haven, are two of the winners of the Center for Children’s Advocacy 2011 Champion of Children awards.

The organization is a nonprofit that protects the legal rights of abused and neglected children throughout the state.

Other award winners are Bill Carbone, executive director of the Connecticut Judicial Department’s Court Support Services Division; and Ann Taylor, Sr. vice president and general counsel, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, according to a statement. Award recipients are recognized for their ongoing commitment to improving the lives of the most vulnerable children and youth in the state, the statement said.

Harp, shown in lower photo, Senate chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, has “placed a priority on providing services for vulnerable children, including insurance coverage for uninsured children, encouraging an early detection system for child abuse, supporting truancy prevention and helping children stay in school, and ensuring the safety of children in the care of the Department of Children and Families,” the statement said.
Walker, House chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, shown at top, is a “committed advocate for youth, education, and human rights ... (and) is committed to juvenile justice reform in Connecticut including raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction,” the statement said. “She has introduced and championed legislation that safeguards children and youth involved in the juvenile justice system.”
Carbone “supports services that improve the safety and educational opportunity for youth in the care of the juvenile justice system. His work has established a triage system for children in care, and broadened community based options for youth in the juvenile justice system.”
Taylor “has been instrumental in the Center for Children’s Advocacy’s on-site legal services for children and families who have difficulty accessing healthcare ... (and) is steadfast in her commitment to the Center’s Medical-Legal Partnership, assuring that Hartford families are supported by child welfare attorneys who can resolve medical issues largely caused by poverty,” the statement said.

The Center for Children’s Advocacy was established in 1997 “to protect the legal rights of Connecticut’s most vulnerable children, those falling through the cracks of the state’s child welfare, education, juvenile justice, health and mental health systems - systems that were designed to offer support,” the statement said.

“The services we provide to children throughout the state are critical,” Martha Stone, executive director of CCA said in the statement, “We serve the poorest of the poor, and their problems can be overwhelming. With our community partners, we’re able to reach children who have suffered from abuse, from neglect, from lack of support and without a safe place to live. The support we provide gives children some hope, and they deserve the right to safe and healthy lives.”

The Center’s “Spring for Kids” event will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. April 28 at Churrascaria Braza, 488 Farmington Ave, Hartford. It is open to the public.

To purchase tickets, go to www.kidscounsel.org or email jbrady@kidscounsel.org or call 860-570-5327.