Cementing a legacy for the future

A fund to carry on the work of one of the Law School’s signature clinics, and to honor its founders, has reached a critical milestone.

The Women, Children, and Social Justice Fund was established to support research and projects in the area of intimate partner violence. It was launched in 2012 with a goal of $100,000 to endow two awards: the Suzanne E. Tomkins Women, Children, and Social Justice Advocacy Fellowship, which funds work by a law student on an advocacy project during the summer or the academic year; and the Catherine Cerulli Women, Children, and Social Justice Research Award, which assists a student with research, such as funding travel to present at a conference or to seek publication of research findings.

The awards recognize the work of Tomkins, who co-directed the Program for Excellence in Family Law and cofounded the clinic in 1992; and Cerulli, who now directs the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership at the University of Rochester. Both are 1992 graduates of SUNY Buffalo Law School.

Mia McFarlane Markello ’99 and Paige Rizzo Mecca ’99, co-chairs of the seven-member fundraising committee, recently announced that the fund has reached the $25,000 threshold to become an official endowment. When the full $100,000 is raised, the endowment will produce income to fully fund the two awards, which total $4,000 annually. Until then, Professor Susan Vivian Mangold is making up the difference so that the awards can be made annually at that level.

Markello notes that as Tomkins approaches her formal retirement date, donors – those touched by the work of the former Women, Children, and Social Justice Clinic – may see an opportunity to express their appreciation.

“This is a way for people to honor Sue,” Markello says. “If someone has the idea of giving her a gift to recognize her retirement, this would be a great way to honor her. This is a great way for her legacy to live on, and future generations of students will perpetuate what she’s done at the clinic.”

Says Mangold of Tomkins and Cerulli, “Their work has changed the way the legal system addresses intimate partner violence in our community, state, nation and world. The Women, Children, and Social Justice Fellowship honors their work and carries it forward through summer support for students advocating for victims of intimate partner violence and working with agencies devoted to eliminating violence from our communities.”