Joe Jaworski - Helping Kids be Kids

By Pamela Ferguson
The Houston Lawyer

Joe Jaworski considers giving a thrill in and of itself. He believes that the greatest gift we can give young people is a sense of security so that they are free to be children. According to Joe, something diminishes in society if kids can’t be kids. He illustrates this belief through his active service to The Children’s Center, and in particular to Juan Perez, an undocumented Guatemalan youth.

The Children’s Center (www.thechildrenscenterinc.org) is a child-welfare organization dedicated to meeting the ongoing and future needs of Galveston-area youth and their families. It assists children who have been abused and neglected by, among other things, providing transitional housing for children who have no other safe place to stay. It is one of the oldest non-profits in Galveston, its programs having served the Houston-Galveston area since 1878.

Joe began his involvement with The Children’s Center in 2005 when the Center honored his work as Mayor Pro Tem at a local fundraiser. Shortly thereafter, Joe joined the Center’s board of directors. At the Children’s Center, Joe has been involved in its committee for policies and procedures and in fundraising.

On Thanksgiving 2007, Joe received a phone call from Terry Keel, president of The Children’s Center, asking him to apply to be permanent guardian of Juan Perez. Juan is an undocumented Guatemalan youth with schizophrenia whose father was murdered when Juan was seven. Juan’s mother died of cancer in 2006. This past April, Joe’s application to serve as Juan’s permanent guardian was granted. The granting of Joe’s application was historic because it was the first time a probate court granted an undocumented youth a permanent guardianship under these circumstances. Joe’s appointment as his permanent guardian enabled Juan to avoid a government reevaluation of his immigration status (with deportation as the likely outcome). Now Juan is in the process of obtaining his green card. Joe says he loves having the opportunity to be involved in Juan’s life, and in so doing, to be more deeply involved in the mission of The Children’s Center.

What motivates Joe to be involved in the lives of children like Juan? The roots of Joe’s story combine a celebrated family tradition of public service with a deep faith in the power of individuals to make a positive difference in their communities. He says his inspiration comes largely from his family. Joe professes deep admiration for his grandfather, Leon Jaworski, the Watergate special prosecutor, for his willingness to go against what’s popular. In 1962, on behalf of the Kennedy administration, Leon Jaworski was involved in prosecuting the governor of Mississippi for failure to comply with school desegregation orders.

Joe recalls that as a child, his family emphasized volunteerism. His mother frequently volunteered at Hermann Hospital. His father, also Joe Jaworski, left a successful law practice in 1980 to found the American Leadership Forum, a non-government agency responsible for developing collaborative leadership to deal with urban and regional problems in the United States. Joe says he admires the volunteerism exemplified in his family and through the lives of the many Americans that give back to their communities.

After graduating from Davidson College, Joe spent four years in an 80s pop band before beginning law school at the University of Texas. During the first week of law school, Joe met Rebecca, whom he would marry. He served as law clerk to the Honorable Justice John Brown of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and has practiced maritime law on behalf of numerous shipping and energy companies. Joe has worked to defend individuals’ rights against special interests throughout his career. He is a partner in The Jaworski Law Firm and specializes in representing maritime clients in state and federal courts around the country. Rebecca and Joe live in Galveston with their two children.

Pamela Ferguson practices with the firm of Greenberg Traurig LLP.

Posted on July 2, 2008 | Return to the Latest News Archive