SAVANNAH, GA – December 19, 2017 – The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire will host its inaugural “Velvet Gala” from 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18 at Cohen’s Retreat, 5715 Skidaway Road.

The “Velvet Gala” will feature live entertainment by Ricardo Ochoa & His Gypsy Jazz Quartet, drinks, appetizers, and a raffle fundraiser. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Mediation Center’s Peer Mediation, Community Conferencing and Children of Peaceful Engagement (COPE) youth programs.

Peer Mediation is a confidential process for resolving conflicts. Participants have the opportunity to talk through their disputes with the help of trained student mediators. Peer mediators do no take sides or place blame on anyone. They listen to all participants and help the participants to develop their own solution to the conflict.

The COPE program teaches children who are going through stressful situations how to better cope with their anger and other emotions and manage their response using proven engagement strategies that focus on understanding and emotional learning. Typically, attendees are early school-age children and participation consists of two onehour lessons, which take place during a one-week period.

“We are really looking forward to kicking off 2018 with this fun networking event,” said Mediation Center Executive Director Jill Cheeks. “The ‘Velvet Gala’ will be an enjoyable, upbeat evening with fantastic music and delicious food. We are grateful for the community’s support and look forward to continuing to grow our youth programs with the funds raised from the party.”

Ricardo Ochoa was accepted into the Venezuela Philharmonic at just 15 years old, making him the youngest musician to ever enter the orchestra. In 2015, he was voted The Best of Savannah’s “Best All-Around Musician.” Now, Ochoa can be found in the Savannah community playing with his band, Velvet Caravan, or onstage with the Savannah Philharmonic as principle second violin.

The Mediation Center’s team of experienced mediators are trained to help residents in Chatham and surrounding counties, including Bryan, Effingham, Liberty, Tattnall and Bulloch. The organization’s reputation is built on over 30 years of integrity and expertise, with a high success rate in resolving thousands of disputes. The Mediation Center is proud to offer the highest quality mediation services to help people resolve disputes through resolution as an alternative to litigation. Tickets cost $45 each and can be purchased by visiting  www.velvetgala.eventbrite.com.

For more information about this event or the Mediation Center, please visit www.mediationsavannah.com, call 912-354-6686 or email
info@mediationsavannah.com.

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For media inquiries, please contact Hollie Barnidge at hollie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-272-8651 or Lesley Francis at lesley@francis.com at 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR (5377).

SAVANNAH, GA – Dec. 19, 2017 – The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire’s “Children of Peaceful Engagement” program – or COPE – is now available to the residents of Greenbriar Children’s Center.

The COPE program teaches children who are going through stressful situations how to better cope with their anger and other emotions and manage their response using proven engagement strategies that focus on understanding and emotional learning. Typically, attendees are early school-age children and participation consists of two one-hour lessons, which take place during a one-week period.

COPE – provided by the Family Law Resource Center and its parent organization, the Mediation Center – is an interactive program designed through collaborations with educators and therapists. It is administered by Crystal Commodore, the Mediation Center’s Director of Youth Programs. Over the summer, it was added to the Mediation Center’s programs roster and was implemented it at Park Place Outreach, which provides services to at-risk youth and their families, aims to increase their functional levels, and reunifies families whenever possible. On Dec. 5, this beneficial service was launched at Greenbriar, another Savannah nonprofit committed to helping the community’s young people.

Greenbriar Children’s Center promotes the healthy development of children and the strengthening of families by providing services that include an emergency shelter, runaway/homeless, residential care, independent living, family preservation, early childhood education and care, and Project Safe Place. Once per month, the FLRC will provide a one-hour lesson, followed by another one-hour follow-up segment, taught later that week. The first session focuses on understanding emotion, managing response and owning actions, while the second session educates participants on communicating when in conflict with others.

Mediation Center Executive Director Jill Cheeks is delighted COPE has been well-received and looks forward to increasing its availability by partnering with more Coastal Empire organizations and educational institutions.

“The community already knows we offer a variety of conflict-resolution services, but we also are pleased to be able to provide programs like COPE. These resources enable us to educate youth at an earlier age and equip them with skills to handle difficult situations and respond in a more positive manner to stress and conflict,” Cheeks said.

Greenbriar provides homes for orphaned and homeless juveniles as well as housing for young adults who have nowhere else to turn. The organization, which was founded 68 years ago, has more than 75 locations established around Savannah as Safe Places, where anyone can seek help or report a child they suspect is being abused or is in need of care.

“Greenbriar’s life skills training program has an emphasis on motivating and encouraging individualized processing. The COPE program further enhances the value of independent thinking and increases youth’s problem-solving skills,” Greenbriar Executive Director Gena Taylor said.

For more information about the COPE program or the Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, please email Cheeks at jcheeks@mediationsavannah.com, call 912-354-6686 or visit mediationsavannah.com. For more information about Greenbriar, please visit greenbriarchildrenscenter.org or call 912-234-3431.

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For media inquiries, please contact Hollie Barnidge at hollie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-272-8651 or Lesley Francis at lesley@francis.com at 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR(5377).

SAVANNAH, GA – DECEMBER 8, 2017 – During a check presentation ceremony on Friday afternoon, Trish Murphy, director of the Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire’s Family Law Resource Center, accepted a $5,000 donation from the Young Lawyers Division of the Savannah Bar Association. The exchange was followed by a brief reception with refreshments. The funds will go to the Guardian Ad Litem program, which Murphy has overseen since the Mediation Center began administering the program in January 2016.

The donation was presented by Young Lawyers Division President Philip Thompson, associate with Ellis, Painter, Ratterree & Adams LLP, and YLD President-elect Kate Lawson Smith, associate with Hunter Maclean, during a Continuing Legal Education class for Guardian Ad Litems at the Family Law Resource Center. The funds were raised during a recent golf tournament held by the SBA’s Young
Lawyers Division.

A Guardian Ad Litem (“GAL”) is a specially trained attorney appointed by the Court to represent the interest of a minor child in Superior Court domestic or civil actions. The GAL investigates the pending issues and makes a recommendation to the Court to assist in the resolution of the case.

“This is a cause we’re always happy to support. This is a cause we look forward to continuing to support in the future,” Thompson said during the presentation. “Thank you all very much for the important work you do providing representation for those who can’t represent their own interests.” Murphy accepted the check, thanking the two YLD representatives for their organization’s continued generosity.

“We appreciate your support and the financial assistance you have kindly provided us with for several years now,” Murphy said.

For more information on the Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, please visit mediationsavannah.com, call 912-354-6686 or email info@mediationsavannah.com. For more information on the Savannah Bar Association, please visit savannahbar.org or email
savannahbarassociation@gmail.com.

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For media inquiries, please contact Hollie Barnidge at hollie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-272-8651 or Lesley Francis at lesley@francis.com at 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR(5377).

SAVANNAH, GA – Oct. 4, 2017 – The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire has announced exciting plans to observe the American Bar Association’s Mediation Week, which runs Oct. 15-21. In 2011, the ABA declared the third week of October, “ABA Mediation Week” as part of the Association for Conflict Resolution’s long-established tradition of celebrating conflict resolution throughout October. The theme for this year’s ABA Mediation Week is “Mediation, Civility, and the Power of Understanding.”

The Mediation Center, which has been cutting the emotional and financial costs of disputes for thousands of people throughout the Coastal Empire region, will commemorate this observance with a couple events designed to thank current volunteers and draw new ones in.

As part of the observance, the center will host the Annual Mediation Appreciation Cocktail Hour on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at the Mediation Center. All volunteer mediators, supporters, staffers and board members will be treated to appetizers, drinks and networking opportunities as they celebrate the center’s 30 successful years. During the cocktail hour, a special announcement will be made about the Mediation Center’s
annual fundraising event.

The Mediation Center plans to prolong its observance of the ABA’s Mediation Week by holding its inaugural monthly information session, “Mediation Matters,” at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. This meeting, held at the Mediation Center at 5105 Paulsen St., Suite 125D, will provide anyone interested in becoming a volunteer mediator with all the information, requirements and guidelines needed to make an informed decision about taking on this important role. Topics important to attendees, such as how to incorporate mediation into the workplace environment or bring one of the Mediation Center’s youth programs to your organization, will also be addressed.

Mediation Center Executive Director Jill Cheeks encourages community members to attend one of the monthly information sessions to learn more about the Mediation Center’s services and resources.“This is our first time celebrating the American Bar Association’s Mediation Week, and we hope to make it into an annual tradition in our region. It’s the perfect opportunity for the Mediation Center to express gratitude to our current volunteers and supporters while aiming to increase community involvement and support for our programs and services,” Cheeks said.

The Mediation Center of Savannah, established in 1986, is a non-profit United Way funded organization that provides education, training and programs and is dedicated to providing and promoting methods other than litigation for settling disputes. The Center relies upon a dedicated volunteer board of directors and mediators who have experience in business, law, real estate, social work, education, and many other areas.

All mediators are registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, under the Supreme Court of Georgia, and they attend annual in-service trainings. For more information about the Mediation Center of The Coastal Empire or any of the planned events, please visit mediationsavannah.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

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For media inquiries, please contact Hollie Barnidge at hollie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-272-8651 or Lesley Francis at lesley@francis.com at 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR (5377).

SAVANNAH, GA – Oct. 4, 2017 – Burton F. “Buddy” Metzger has joined the Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire’s Board of Directors as a member-at-large. He also will serve on the board’s Personnel Committee.

Metzger graduated from Yale University with his bachelor’s degree in 1962 and from Columbia Law School with his juris doctorate in 1965. After completing his education, Metzger practiced entertainment law in New York from 1965-72. He served as the president of the Metzger Group, a manufacturing company in New York, from 1977-87. During his time in the Empire State, Metzger held many leadership roles and was recognized for his philanthropic contributions. He served as a campaign leader and was named to the Council of Top 100 Solicitors.

After moving to Georgia, Metzger practiced juvenile and family law in Savannah from 1992-2009 and served as the juvenile court’s judge pro tem from 2000-09. His community achievements and leadership roles include serving as president, a long-term officer and director of Savannah’s Congregation Agudath Achim, volunteering for the United Way’s Backpack Buddies program, cofounding and serving as a board member of Parent University, serving on the board of directors of the Savannah Jewish Federation, serving as chairman of the Interfaith Relations Committee, and focusing on interracial relations for the Mayor’s Council on Interfaith. Metzger currently volunteers for the
Mediation Center as a civil and family law mediator.

The Mediation Center provides the coastal community with access to mediation and other dispute resolution methods as an alternative to litigation. The Mediation Center also provides training to businesses, schools, organizations, other institutions, and individuals in order to enhance conflict resolution skills throughout the community.

“We’re pleased to welcome Buddy to the Mediation Center’s Board of Directors. I’ve enjoyed working with him as a volunteer and have seen how his impressive skill set has proven beneficial to the center and those we serve,” Mediation Center Executive Director Jill Cheeks said. “I’m thankful he has accepted the position on our board, as I’m confident he’ll lead and serve the community well in his new capacity.”

For more information about The Mediation Center, please visit mediationsavannah.com, call 912-354-6686 or email info@mediationsavannah.com.

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For media inquiries, please contact Hollie Barnidge at hollie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-272-8651 or Lesley Francis at lesley@francis.com at 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR (5377).