Since its founding in 1937 by judges dedicated to improving the effectiveness of the nation's juvenile and family courts, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, based on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, has worked to improve outcomes for children and families. Throughout 2007, NCJFCJ has celebrated its 70th anniversary with a number of community events, culminating on Friday, Nov. 9, 2007, with a gala dinner at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks, Nev. Actor, director, producer, child welfare advocate and best-selling children's author Henry Winkler will be the featured speaker. The public is invited to join in the celebration.

A committee of more than 50 state and local leaders, designated as "Champions for Children and Families," has joined with NCJFCJ to plan the celebration. Nevada's Governor Jim Gibbons and First Lady, Dawn Gibbons, will attend. Additional national and state dignitaries, including U.S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Congressman Dean Heller, Nevada State Senator William Raggio, Reno Mayor Bob Cashell, and Nevada System of High Education Chancellor Jim Rogers will serve as honorary co-chairs.

The gala dinner and event will include live and silent auctions and dancing, beginning at 6 pm. Individual tickets are $150; a table of 10 is $1,500. A VIP reception with Henry Winkler will be held at 5:30 pm; individual tickets are $50. Proceeds from the event will support NCJFCJ programs and work on behalf of our nation's children and families. For information, call the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges at (775) 784-6012 or visit http://www.ncjfcj.org.

Celebrating 70 years in 2007—Since its founding in 1937 by a group of judges dedicated to improving the effectiveness of the nation's juvenile courts, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) has pursued a mission to improve courts and systems practice and raise awareness of the core issues that touch the lives of many of our nation's children and families.

The NCJFCJ, headquartered on the University of Nevada campus in Reno since 1969, has been in the forefront of addressing issues pertaining to juvenile and family law and is a leader in continuing education opportunities, research, and policy development. NCJFCJ provides cutting-edge training, wide-ranging technical assistance, and research to help the nation's courts, judges and staff in their important work. During the past year, the NCJFCJ conducted or assisted in conducting more than 200 educational programs for more than 19,000 judges, court administrators, social and mental health workers, police, probation officers, and others working in the juvenile and family courts at its headquarters in Reno and throughout the country. In conjunction with the University of Nevada, Reno and the National Judicial College, the National Council participates in unique advanced degree programs for judges and other court professionals. The NCJFCJ is the nation's oldest judicial membership organization with more than 2,000 members.