The NV Energy Foundation has awarded The National Judicial College a $25,000 grant to support the College’s Reading & Robes youth program.
Reading & Robes features judges, wearing robes, teaching children from disadvantaged backgrounds about the judiciary and civic responsibilities.
Since the program’s inception in 2019, more than 1,000 children in 17 states have participated, according to an Aug. 19 press release.
“NV Energy is proud to support efforts like this that make the communities we serve stronger, and I know firsthand about the quality of NJC programs,” Brandon Barkhuff, NV Energy vice president and general counsel and a recent addition to the NJC Board of Trustees, said in a statement.
Children ranging in age from elementary to high school participate in Reading & Robes, either through their school or via youth organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs.
The presentations typically take place in local courtrooms or in the model courtroom at the judicial college’s headquarters on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno.
“Our mission is to make the world a more just place, and civics education is a necessary element of that,” NJC President Benes Aldana said in a statement. “I can’t think of a better way to engage tomorrow’s decision-makers about the rule of law and constitutional democracy. As we’re seeing from their eagerness to participate, many judges and philanthropic groups agree.”
NV Energy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of NV Energy.
