Community Story

Meeting People Where They Are and Changing What’s Possible

Many people in Athens-Clarke County may not realize the scope of what our five Accountability Courts do, but for participants and families, these programs can be life-changing.

Many people in Athens-Clarke County may not realize the scope of what our five Accountability Courts do, but for participants and families, these programs can be life-changing.

Laura Welch has been part of that work for more than a decade. She began serving as Court Administrator in 2012, just as state-level investment in accountability courts began to expand. “We had grants that covered a lot,” she explained, “but there were so many needs we couldn’t meet, like helping someone get a hotel room over the holidays, or buying diapers, or covering a washing machine. We had families who wanted to donate because we’d changed their child’s life, and we had no way to accept the money.”

The partnership with the Athens Area Community Foundation changed that. In 2014, the Accountability Courts Foundation Fund was formed, designed specifically to receive public donations that directly support participants. And today, it is still doing exactly that.

The Accountability Courts Foundation Fund is a revolving fund that, according to Laura Welch, wouldn’t be nearly as impactful without the Community Foundation. “They facilitate a higher level of effectiveness that we wouldn’t be able to achieve without the partnership with the Athens Area Community Foundation.”

Welch also speaks to the invaluable guidance of the staff at the Community Foundation and the connections it fosters. “The Community Foundation offers networking, visibility, and awareness. They support others and are supported by others. Most people don’t know what an accountability court is unless they have a family member involved, and the Athens Area Community Foundation helps bridge that gap. They help us make connections and expand our reach in our community.”

Each of the courts—Felony Drug Court, Mental Health Court, Veterans Court, DUI Court, and Family Treatment Court—provides a framework for individuals who are high risk, high need, and nonviolent to rebuild their lives. The goal is simple: to keep people from reoffending and to address the core issues that drive their involvement in the justice system, including substance use, mental health needs, trauma, or cycles of instability.

Judge Lawton Stephens, who presides over the Western Circuit Felony Drug Court, calls this work “the most rewarding part of the job.” Accountability Courts are intentionally collaborative, with probation officers, treatment providers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the judge all working together as one team. “We are trying to save their lives,” he said. And research backs this model. Over the past decade, these courts have grown statewide from roughly 50 to more than 190, demonstrating their effectiveness. And that’s exactly where the Foundation Fund makes the difference.

Donations support the kinds of basic items that help someone keep going with things like gas cards, housing needs, incentives, work clothing, and transportation support—the kinds of costs state operating funds cannot cover. It is often those small, human needs that keep someone stable and moving forward, and the partnership with the Athens Area Community Foundation means those dollars can be handled efficiently, legally, and transparently.

There is also a ripple effect: the fund has inspired other funds to form, including the Dale Allen Memorial Scholarship Fund and many others.

Over time, the fund has also become a way for community members who don’t directly encounter the Courts to play a part in the work. Laura says she’s had donors say, “I don’t know these participants personally, but I want to invest in what gives them a chance.” The fund creates a bridge between the lived reality of participants and the neighbors who want Athens to be safer and healthier.

Laura Welch encourages people to go ahead and open a fund. “No matter how big or small, you can put money into the fund and the Community Foundation will invest that money for you and write checks to charitable causes on your behalf.”

She goes on to share that making small changes can bring a greater impact to the causes you care most about: “Instead of getting a fancy cup of coffee every day, put that $5 into your own fund. Or instead of gifting adult family members Christmas gifts that they probably don’t need, put a few hundred dollars into your fund. The adults don’t need one more thing, so make a contribution on their behalf and start making a difference."

The results are clear: when Accountability Courts succeed, families heal, cycles are interrupted, and our communities become more resilient.