Dot Binger marks 99th birthday and 34 years of service to 90 children at Guardian ad Litem

Dot Binger, also known as Ms. Dot, embodies the old adage, “It’s better to give than to receive.” Instead of focusing on herself and her big 99th birthday on July 20, she was more focused on getting to the post office to mail a card to the former Guardian ad Litem child she represented for her fifth birthday.

“I met her when she was just five days old. I was able to see her adopted by a loving family and watch her grow up,” said Ms. Dot. “I just wanted to send her a card with a five-dollar bill.”

Ms. Dot, whose community service would fill a thousand-page novel, has been a Guardian ad Litem Volunteer for almost 34 years. Throughout that time, she has worked on over 40 cases and worked with more than 90 children.

“I remember them all. I hope my being in their lives has made their lives better,” said Ms. Dot.

The Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office represents abused, abandoned, and neglected children in court and the community. The Office represents the children’s legal interests through a multidisciplinary team and helps them achieve a safe and permanent home, and there is no one better to have on your team than Ms. Dot.

“Her persistence and dedication are unmatched,” said Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office Second Circuit Director Deborah Moore. “Dot is an inspiration and role model for our staff and Guardian ad Litem Volunteers. Every quality we look for that a child deserves in a Guardian ad Litem Volunteer, Dot possesses.”

Ms. Dot can regale you with the many stories of all the children she has worked with, and when the dependency case ends, she is still there for them, whether stopping in to deliver some books or being there for a phone call.

“These children and families need to know someone is there, and I am happy to be that person,” said Ms. Dot. She maintains contact with many of the children she advocated for, now adults and knows some of their children. On her piano stand is a Christmas picture of one of the children she worked with, her husband and their children.

Ms. Dot grew up on a farm. At a young age, she knew she had a social conscience, recounting sticking up for another child, a sharecropper, in third grade.

“My teacher told my mother, ‘Dorothy is going to get in a lot of trouble for taking up for riffraff like that.’ Mother was OK with that, and so was I,” said Ms. Dot. “I try to live up to my social conscience.”

Ms. Dot became an educator, eventually teaching at Tallahassee Community College and becoming the Director of Applied Sciences. In 2018, she was inducted into the TCC Hall of Fame. She raised her family in Tallahassee, adopting two children and opening her home to foster children.

“My husband was as interested in helping the community as I was,” said Ms. Dot. “He knew these children had no place to go.”

Two foster children who stayed with them until they aged out of the system became part of the family. Ms. Dot has been there as they raised their own families.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Dot Binger marks 99th birthday, 34th year at Guardian ad Litem