Chair’s column

Lynn Price is someone you should know and whose story you will hear if you attend the Women and the Law Committee’s program on Girls in Crisis: Foster Care and Immigrants in May.

A former Illinois child in foster care, Lynn learned at age eight that she had a biological sister living in another Chicagoland home. Subsequently, they had limited, supervised visitation but did not develop a bond or friendship until they were young adults.

After graduating from the University of Illinois, she started a family and career, winding up in Las Vegas, where she volunteered at a children’s shelter and served as a court appointed special advocate and learned about the larger child welfare system. Lynn used that knowledge to help others in those capacities but also as a foster parent, adoptive parent and founder of Camp to Belong.

For 25 years, Camp to Belong has reunited more than 13,000 siblings who live in separate foster, adoptive, and relative homes. The camps are held at campsites throughout the United States as well as in Australia, strengthening sibling connections and giving at risk youth the opportunity to enjoy a safe, camping experience.

Lynn has received the Presidents Service Award from President Clinton, Oprah’s Angel Network Use Your Life Award from Oprah Winfrey, and the University of Illinois Alumni Humanitarian Award. She has also been recognized as a 2017 AARP Purpose Prize Fellow, a Sigma Delta Tau Outstanding Alumni, and a Hear Her Song Honoree by the Canales Project.

We look forward to hearing from Lynn as well as our other national and local blue ribbon speakers at our May 17 program. Subsequent chair columns will feature our other speakers as well as provide program details. We are grateful to Shawn Kasserman and Tomasik, Kotin Kasserman LLC for agreeing to sponsor this program.

Lori G. Levin is an experienced criminal and juvenile defense attorney who practices in the Chicagoland area. She can be reached at 312-972-3756 or levin@lorilevinlaw.com. Her website is www.lorilevinlaw.com. She can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chicagodefense and Twitter @LoriLevin.