Photo courtesy of the ICBF
The Ingham County Bar Foundation presented a $5,000 grant to Friends of the Ingham County Veterans Treatment Court on Nov. 11 at the East Lansing Court House. The grant matches the largest amount the ICVTC has received from the ICBF since being established in March 2010.
“This grant to the Friends of the Veterans Treatment Court helps the courts to succeed and the veterans to succeed,” said Hon. David Jordon, retired. “The secret of this success can be attributed to the veterans who mentor each other throughout the process.”
The ICVTC is designed to assist veterans from all branches of the military who are currently involved in the criminal justice system. As the second treatment court of its kind, their overall goal is to deter eligible veteran-defendants from a traditional court process and instead place them in a specialized criminal court. The ICVTC also provides a Veteran Mentoring Program which matches a veteran defendant with a veteran mentor who will provide guidance during the court process while guiding and supporting the defendant through other treatment programs if needed. They have served approximately 150 veterans to date.
The ICBF was established in 2002 for Michigan lawyers and other interested citizens to be able to make charitable contributions that provide meaningful benefits for the community. Previous grant funds from the ICBF paid a fuel oil bill for a veteran without home heat, reading glasses, hearing aids, and has assisted with numerous other emergency or unpaid bills for indigent veteran-defendants. This grant will be instrumental in funding such needs as well as the weekly Veterans’ Support Group for veterans before the court.
