UTAH COURT CHILD PROGRAM RECEIVES AWARD

Salt Lake City — The Utah State Bar has awarded the 2018 Liberty Bell Award to the Divorce Education for Children program for its work with children coping in divorce or separation situations.
The award was presented by the Bar’s Young Lawyers Division to the Utah State Courts during its annual Law Day event last Monday.
Divorce Education for Children is a free class for children 9 to 12 whose parents are separated, divorcing, or divorced. The one-time class teaches children coping tools they can use to express their feelings to parents, and lets them know that the divorce is not their fault. The class is held in a court environment where they get to meet a judge or commissioner in order to demystify court, where their parents may be spending time. The 2-hour class is taught by a mental health professional and is currently offered in Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake, and Provo. For more information, visit: (https://legacy.utcourts.gov/specproj/dived/children.html).
The program was started by the late Utah Commissioner Mike Evans, in an effort to help children coping with divorce.
“We are very honored to receive this award and grateful to the volunteer judges, commissioners and community partners who have come together for the benefit of these kids,” said Third District Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills, who chairs the committee which oversees the program.
“We are proud to be the recipient of the Utah State Bar’s Liberty Bell Award and we appreciate the Bar’s recognition of the important mission of the program, which is to empower children by providing them tools that will enhance their social and emotional well-being,” said Third District Judge Laura Scott, who chairs the program’s advisory subcommittee.
The Liberty Bell Award is given to a community member or organization for their contribution to a better understanding and appreciation of the American justice system.

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