On Friday, February 17, 2012, twenty volunteers were sworn in as guardians ad litem at the Leon County Courthouse in downtown Tallahassee.
Joining Circuit Director Deborah Moore and members of her staff in welcoming the new guardians ad litem were Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office Executive Director Alan Abramowitz and Florida Guardian ad Litem Foundation Board Chair Bonnie Marmor.
The ceremony began with brief remarks from Alan Abramowitz. He congratulated the new volunteers not only as Executive Director but as a fellow guardian ad litem for the Second Judicial Circuit. He also spoke about the "A Voice Heard" 2012 Status Report and provided copies to all.
Next, Deborah Moore took the stage to again welcome and congratulate the new guardians. After giving a brief speech, Moore introduced her staff and Bonnie Marmor before turning things over to the Circuit Judge presiding over the swearing in ceremony, the Honorable Dawn Caloca-Johnson.
Judge Caloca-Johnson briefly discussed the process from her perspective and highlighted the importance and value of guardians ad litem. She thanked the new volunteers and then invited them to approach the bench and introduce themselves.
After meeting the volunteers, Judge Caloca-Johnson asked them to raise their right hands and repeat the oath as administered. Completing the ceremony, Judge Caloca-Johnson congratulated the new guardians ad litem and the courtroom broke into applause. Before moving on to her next judicial proceeding, Judge Caloca-Johnson took a few minutes to answer questions and take photographs with the volunteers.
We are very proud of and thankful for all of our volunteer guardians ad litem!
To see all of our photographs from this event, view the Volunteers Sworn In 2012-02-17 set on Flickr.
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