As the Knox County Public Defender Community Law Office exclusively represents indigent clients, the staff at the CLO witnesses the devastating effects of poverty on not only the CLO's clients, but on their children, and the children of the community as well. Over ten years ago, the staff at the Public Defender's Office chose to make the Christmas holiday a more enjoyable event for some of these children. We asked the Knox County Juvenile Court to select twenty families with children who had been involved with the Dependent and Neglected Unit of the Juvenile Court, and we sponsored a Christmas party for these kids. The event was held at the Elks Club, which was generous enough to donate its facilities. The office staff prepared a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for over one hundred people. Santa visited, bringing with him gifts for the nearly sixty children, which included clothing and toys for each child.

The Knox County Community Law Office has made this Christmas for Children event a yearly tradition. We are now able to host this event at our office. Our staff and volunteers from the community make the dinner, music, crafts, and visit from Santa possible. The event is made financially feasible by the unselfish giving of members of the local bar, community leaders, and by the people of the greater Knoxville area.

If you are interested in offering your financial assistance to make this program possible or in volunteering for this event, you may contact Laura Chambers.