Reserve space now for the Weltner Freedom of Information Award Banquet, Oct. 19.
The Georgia First Amendment Foundation’s annual Weltner Banquet is the greatest source of financial support for our narrow and essential mission: fighting for free speech, government transparency and access to public information in Georgia.
This year’s event, scheduled at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 19, at the Silverbell Pavilion of the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta, will honor the Carter Center’s Global Access to Information Program and the late Judge Stephanie B. Manis of Fulton County Superior Court.
Welter sponsorships are at four levels:
- Platinum—at least 8 tickets with preferred VIP seating for the dinner, premium recognition as a host, including signage and a full page in the program; all benefits of being an institutional GFAF member, including legislative updates and one complimentary open government workshop for your organization or company, $10,000.
- Gold—8 tickets with preferred VIP seating for the dinner, premium recognition as a host, including signage and a full page in the program, $5,000.
- Silver—6 tickets for the dinner, recognition and signage, and a half-page in the program, $2,500.
- Bronze—4 tickets for the dinner, recognition and signage and a quarter-page in the program, $1,500.
For information about becoming a 2017 Weltner sponsor, please call Lenora Kopkin 678-395-3618 or email info@gfaf.org.
The Weltner Banquet and the foundation’s annual Freedom of Information Award are named for Charles L. Weltner, a former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court who championed freedom of information and ethics in state government. Honorees reflect his commitment to open, transparent government.
The 2017 Weltner Award honoree is the Carter Center’s Global Access to Information Program, which works to improve governance and transform citizens’ lives worldwide by providing governments with actionable advice and technical assistance that increase transparency and help citizens exercise their fundamental right to information.
The foundation also is honoring the late Fulton County Superior Court Judge Stephanie B. Manis with its Open Government Hero Award. Manis, who died in December, was an unwavering advocate of open records and open meetings during her years in the Office of the Georgia Attorney General and on the bench.
Both awards will be presented during the Weltner Banquet. Laura Neuman, director of the Carter Center’s Global Access to Information Program, will accept the Weltner Freedom of Information Award and serve as the event’s keynote speaker. Manis’ family will accept the Open Government Hero Award in her honor.
