Kate Champion and Marcy Kurtz
Bracewell & Giuliani
Tell us a little bit about how you originally became involved with CHILDREN AT RISK?
Kate: I joined the Law Advisory Board of CHILDREN AT RISK in the summer of 2013 due to my interest in the anti-human trafficking initiative and the active stance that CHILDREN AT RISK takes against human trafficking. Since joining the Law Advisory Board, I have worked closely with the staff attorneys and have been involved in several matters regarding the welfare of children.
Marcy: I am the firm’s Pro Bono Coordinator. I try to always remain open to new opportunities for our attorneys to be of service to the community. I choose those opportunities to pursue in large part based on attorney interest and involvement with the particular organization as well as client involvement. We have at least two clients who have representatives on the Board and/or who are actively involved with Children at Risk. We also have at least one attorney with a strong interest and involvement with this organization. These factors were key in my decision to approve Children at Risk as a pro bono client of the firm.
Why did you decide to conduct a scan of parent education policies in all 50 states for CHILDREN AT RISK?
Kate: After discussing the importance of parent education programs, including the positive impact on the parent child relationship, CHILDREN AT RISK and Bracewell and Giuliani conducted a policy scan on all fifty states to obtain more information about the type of parent education programs offered in each state, in particular the state of Texas. The goal of the policy scan was to determine the types of parent education programs offered in other states and how similar programs could be implemented in Texas.
Marcy: After discussions with Children at Risk representatives to understand the work assignment/request and the purpose of Children at Risk’s interest in working to implement accessible parent education policies in Texas, and further discussing this with project attorneys at Bracewell & Giuliani, we determined that a scan of all 50 states would serve as a good resource to determine what other states were doing to tackle (or not) this issue.
Why is evidence-based parent education important to you?
Kate: Evidence-based parent education programs have a positive impact on the parent-child relationship and the overall welfare of a child. By teaching positive parenting practices early, children may have a better chance at success.
Marcy: Evidence-based parent education is important because it puts the focus in the right place and at the right time—on the parents, either before or at the time they have children and while those children are young enough that they are readily open to good, healthy and positive influence.
What are your community activities or hobbies?
Kate: I enjoy working with CHILDREN AT RISK, painting, horseback riding and traveling. I am also active in my church and enjoy participating in my church’s homeless ministries.
Marcy: My community activities all revolve around service work of some kind. I sit on several boards that provide good, services and/or assistance to an under-privileged community. My hobbies include all things athletic—power vinyasa yoga, crossfit, and distance walking, to name just a few. I also teach yoga several days a week after I leave work at my “real job!” Finally, I started and non-profit organization called Peach Outreach whose mission includes raising awareness about uterine/endometrial cancer. I spend a lot of my free time involved with activities for that organization.
When you were a child, what did you dream you would be when you grew up?
Kate: I consider myself very fortunate to have grown up in a family that, from a very young age, often told me I could be anything I want to be. For me, as a child, the sky was the limit. I dreamt of being lots of things when I grew up: a scientist, a detective, a doctor, an animal tamer, and the list goes on. Despite my ever changing career path as a child, one thing remained the same; I wanted to make a difference. It was in college that I decided to be a lawyer.
Marcy: I always knew I would be of service when I grew up. While my exact “perfect job” changed as I grew older, I never moved away from that common denominator. Every career I wanted, ever, involved service to others.
What is your favorite part of the CHILDREN AT RISK mission?
Kate: My favorite part of CHILDREN AT RISK’s mission is that it serves as a catalyst for change. While good ideas are plentiful, it takes action to implement change.
Marcy: My favorite part of the mission is that the focus is where it should be. While the welfare of the children is at the heart of the mission, the emphasis is on policy change, strategic research, and key advocacy for the benefit of those children.
What is one reason someone should give their time, effort and support to children and CHILDREN AT RISK?
Kate: Children are the face of the future.
Marcy: My personal view as to why someone should give their time, effort and support to children and Children at Risk is that children, not energy sources or food or natural resources or other similar things people often mistakenly identify, are the world’s most valuable asset. They are the future.