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Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007 Windows on the River SUSAN FORD BALES, daughter
of former Presdent Ford, Out & About
PD Article 6/3/07 It is estimated in our 20 years that we have provided treatment services for 6,000 women and families, 200 babies were born drug free, 1,700 families were reunited and $3,000,000 in non-reimbursable or charity care treatment services were provided to medically indigent women. To consider the magnitude of the anniversary, according to the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services for each baby born chemically dependent, that child experiences on average of $570,000 in medical expenses through the child’s fifth year of life. That translates to $114,000,000 in savings to our health care system.
Veronica Czekaj, President of the Women's Center's Board of Directors. Tammy successfully completed her treatment program in January and courageously agreed to share her story and the depths of her addiction to the peaks of her new recovery.
Susan Ford Bales, Tammy (former client), and her mother. Susan Ford Bales served as the Keynote Speaker.
Susan Ford Bales delivers Keynote Address.
Award presented to Susan Ford Bales from Veronica Czekaj. The Women’s Center recognized the leadership and impact that the Honorable Donna Congeni Fitzsimmons has provided in her role as the Presiding / Administrative Judge of the Court from 1996 through 2003, overseeing most recently the construction and move into the new Justice Center which opened in February 2003. Spawned by security concerns and a case docket that has almost tripled since Fitzsimmons became Judge the new facility boasts the newest in security, technology, and design features. Judge Fitzsimmons earned her undergraduate degree from Boston College summa cum laude in 1973 and her law degree cum laude from George Washington University in 1976.
Judge Fitzsimmons Judge Fitzsimmons served as an Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor (from 1977-1980). In 1980, she was the first woman appointed as Special Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, Organized Crime Strike Force in Cleveland. Her most notable case was as the lead prosecutor in United States v. Lonardo, Gallo, et al, a three-month trial in federal court which resulted in the conviction of former Cleveland Mafia boss Angelo Lonardo and five of his subordinates in 1983. The Lonardo case gained national attention because the lives of the FBI case agents were threatened during the investigation, resulting in the relocation of their families. Death threats were made to Donna Congeni Fitzsimmons and her family during the course of the trial. The Justice Department successfully prosecuted the perpetrators of such threats at the conclusion of the Lonardo prosecution.
Judge Donna Congeni Fitzsimmons and family. Based upon her work in that case, Judge Fitzsimmons was appointed Deputy Counsel to President Reagan’s Commission on Organized Crime in Washington, D.C. from 1984 to 1985. She then entered private practice as a partner at Arter & Hadden for eight years, specializing in the defense of medical malpractice and medical product liability claims. Soon after taking the bench, Judge Fitzsimmons dedicated herself to improving the delivery of justice in cases that involved intimate partner offenses, including Domestic Violence and Stalking. She created the Stalking Victim Support Group and a training course for law enforcement officers, probation officers, and court personnel involved in handling stalking cases. Judge Fitzsimmons’ teaching experience includes courses presented to her judicial peers, law enforcement personnel, and lawyers. In February of l997, Judge Fitzsimmons was appointed as the Municipal Court representative to the Cuyahoga County Criminal Justice Supervisory Services Board, and the Executive Committee to that Board. This Board oversees the expenditure of federal and state funds for criminal justice programs. At that time she was also appointed Chair of the Cuyahoga County Violence Against Women Act Committee.
Kim Sark, Secretary, Maritza Rodreguez and Maureen Wood, Treasurer.
Ellie Sullivan, Board Member, Margaret Bobonich, Cast Member of CBS Survivor: Guatemala Adventure, Tara DeVore, Jim Kenny and Loretta Stanton, Members of the Board of Directors. 20th Anniversary Gala and Silent Auction Sponsors:
The MetroHealth System served as a corporate sponsor.
Encompass The World Travel Agency
Click on a sponsor logo to go to their website. |
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