In January 2019, barely seven months after completing her master’s degree in
Legal Studies, Joye Williams created an endowed fund at the University of Illinois in
Springfield.
The scholarship is called the Lawrence E. Williams/Dr. Larry
Golden Illinois Innocence Project Scholarship Fund.
The scholarship is for individuals who were victims of a wrongful conviction, who have a felony who want
to reintegrate into society by furthering their education, and /or who work with
the Illinois Innocence Project.
Joye, a Waukekgan resident, works as an Ombudsman in the Public Benefits
Practice Group of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago where she helps protect the rights of residents in assisted living and long-term
residential care facilities.
Joye says that she was inspirited to create the scholarship because her son
who has a felony record, is currently experiencing major difficulties and such a
scholarship would benefit other young men and woman like him.
This story appeared in Chicago Peoples Voice in May 2019.
Read the entire article online.
