By Gary Rosen, AAML Foundation President
I was very honored to be sworn in as the new AAML Foundation President last month at the Foundation’s Lifetime Members’ Luncheon in Chicago.
At that time, I publicly thanked Brian Vertz for the extraordinary leadership that he demonstrated for the past two and a half years leading the Foundation. I am very grateful that Brian will be continuing his service to the Foundation as immediate past president, and I know that I will be leaning upon him for advance and counsel throughout my term.
During the Lifetime Members’ Luncheon, the Foundation very proudly announced the recipients of our 2025 grants.
As a result of the tremendous generosity from Fellows across the country, we were able to provide $322,000.00 in grants to programs and agencies across the country.
The Foundation has four named grants. This year those named grants received a $10,000.00 check from the Foundation.
The named grant recipients for 2025 were:
The Michael S.J. Albano Grant is reserved for a grantee committed to improving the lives of children with an emphasis on promoting education, the advancement of women or members of other special groups, as well as those interested in scouting. This year’s recipient of this grant is Haven Hills, Inc., in Canoga Park, California.
The Honorable Anne Lamkin Durward Access to Justice Grant is awarded to a grantee committed to overcoming language barriers for low-income domestic relations and family court litigants through direct, pro bono representation, interpretation services for court proceedings, informational/educational sessions and/or counseling services to indigent family law clients. This year’s recipient of this grant is the CASA Board Volunteer Association in Akron, Ohio.
The Donn C. Fullenweider Grant is bestowed upon an agency that provides legal services and/or educates lawyers. This year’s recipient of this grant is Unchained At Last in Westfield, New Jersey.
The Jim and Lea Hennenhoefer Grant is reserved each year for the grantee demonstrating or providing an innovative approach to, or unique services for families in need. This year’s recipient of this grant is Advokids in Corte Madera, California.
The additional grantees representing 23 states, plus the District of Columbia, all of whom received $6,000.00, were the following:
Battered Women’s Shelter, Akron, OH
Calm Waters Center for Children and Families, Oklahoma City, OK
CASA of Monmouth County, Oakhurst, NJ
Center Against Sexual and Family Violence, Inc., El Paso, TX
Center for Children and Families, Inc., Norman, OK
Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina, Winston-Salem, NC
Conejo Free Clinic, Thousand Oaks, CA
DC Affordable Law Firm, Washington, DC
Defenders of Children, Phoenix, AZ
Domestic Abuse Legal Advocacy Center, PSC, St. Paul, MN
Essex County Legal Aid Association, Newark, NJ
Family Law CASA of King County, Tukwila, WA
Family Tree, Inc., Wheat Ridge, CO
FamilyKind, Ltd., New York, NY
Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, Atlanta, GA
Hanover Safe Place, Ashland, VA
Harmony at Home, Carmel, CA
Hope Alliance, Round Rock, TX
Hopeful Horizons, Beaufort, SC
Iowa Center for Children’s Justice, Des Moines, IA
Journey Center for Safety and Healing, Cleveland, OH
Kids First Center, Scarborough, ME
Kids First Law Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
Kids In The Middle, St. Louis, MO
Kids’ Turn San Diego, San Diego, CA
Levitt & Quinn Family Law Center, Los Angeles, CA
LiveSafe Resources, Marietta, GA
Lowcountry Legal Volunteers, Okatie, SC
North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, Highland Park, IL
Oklahoma Guardian Ad Litem Institute, Edmond, OK
Partners for Women and Justice, Bloomfield, NJ
Philadelphia VIP, Philadelphia, PA
SafeHaven of Tarrant County, Arlington, TX
Sistercare, Inc., Columbia, SC
The Children’s Law Center of Connecticut, Hartford, CT
The Laurel Center Intervention for Domestic and Sexual Violence, Winchester, VA
The Lilac Tree – Center for Divorce Resources, Evanston, IL
The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, Inc., Savannah, GA
The Women’s Advocacy Center, Memphis, TN
Tubman, Minneapolis, MN
Upstate Mediation Center, Greenville, SC
Voices for Children, CASA of Boulder County, Boulder, CO
Volunteer Lawyers Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Women’s Advocates, St. Paul, MN
Women’s Law Center of Maryland, Inc., Towson, MD
Women’s Resource Center, Wayne, PA
Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence, Decatur, GA
Thank you so much for your generosity during the course of this past year that allowed us to provide a record amount of funds to programs that desperately need our assistance.
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The Foundation thanks the following donors since the last newsletter for their support and generosity:
In Memory of Hon. Anne Lamkin Durward
Peter and Jane Buchbauer
In Memory of Steve Kolodny, Jim Hennenhoefer and Tom Stabile
Sandra Morris
In Honor of Steven Peskind and Dana Prescott being named AAML Fellows of the Year
Cary and Dee Mogerman
In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Tropsa
Joy Feinberg
In Memory of Burton Young
Maria Gonzalez
2025 Billable Hour Club
Maria C. Gonzalez
Abbas Hadjian
Richard F. Iglar
2026 Billable Hour Club
David W. Griffin
Twila B. Larkin
Sarah S. Oldham
General Donation
AAML Minnesota Chapter