The Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys Foundation, Inc. (“GABWA Foundation”) is a 501(c) (3) organization that was founded in May 1983 to facilitate GABWA’s charitable and educational activities.  Like GABWA, the GABWA Foundation’s mission is to provide services to the community that further the interests of women and children throughout Georgia and that increase the representation of black women in the legal profession.  Proceeds from the GABWA Glitter Gala and Auction will help support the GABWA Foundation’s long-standing, award-winning programs.

The Civil Pro Bono Project
The Civil Pro Bono Project (“CPP”) focuses on providing legal and educational assistance to the marginalized in our society.  In April 2007, the GABWA Foundation established the Civil Pro Bono Wills Project, a partnership between GABWA and the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc. through which GABWA members provide advanced health directives and wills to citizens of Atlanta who suffer from AIDS/HIV, cancer, and other terminal illnesses.  In June 2008, the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations (“NCWB”) recognized the Civil Pro Bono Wills Project by awarding it their 2008 Public Service Award.  Another long-standing service of CPP is its partnership with Foreverfamily.  As part of its partnership with this outstanding organization, the GABWA Foundation provides back-to-school supplies and other assistance to the children of incarcerated parents.

The Sister to Sister Mentoring Program
In 2000, the GABWA Foundation and the Fulton County Juvenile Court, with the assistance of the Georgia Supreme Court’s Commission on Equality, began the Sister to Sister Mentoring Program (“Sister to Sister”).  Sister to Sister is designed to assist at-risk teen girls, many of whom have entered the juvenile court system, through adult mentoring and bimonthly meetings covering important topics such as abstinence, STI’s, self esteem, goal setting, and choices.  Community service is also a central component of Sister to Sister.  This program is the only one of its kind in Fulton County.  By introducing the girls to the promise that their lives hold if they make positive choices, Sister to Sister encourages the teen girls to continue their education, remain abstinent, and develop behaviors that will prevent future contact with the criminal justice system.  Since its founding, Sister to Sister has assisted more than 500 girls.  In August 2007, the NCWBA recognized Sister to Sister with its 2007 Public Service Award.
 
Scholarship & Endowment
The GABWA Foundation is committed to providing scholarships to black women attending Georgia law schools to insure that the pipeline of black women entering the legal profession remains strong.  Since 2002, the GABWA Foundation has awarded nearly $200,000 in scholarships to more than fifty African American women law students.  In 2003, the GABWA Foundation initiated “Project Endowment,” a campaign to raise additional funds to sustain the GABWA Foundation’s scholarship efforts for the next generation.  To date, “Project Endowment” has garnered more than $50,000 from GABWA members and friends.

In addition to the above-referenced programs, the GABWA Foundation continues to provide assistance to noteworthy programs throughout Georgia.  For example, the GABWA Foundation provided significant contributions to help create the Isabel Gates Webster Nursery at the Andrew & Walter Young Southwest YMCA.  The nursery is named in honor of Isabel Gates Webster, one of the first African American women attorneys in Atlanta. The GABWA Foundation is also a supporter of the Color of Justice Program of the Georgia Supreme Court’s Committee on Access and Fairness in the Courts.