|
During 2018, your help & support changed lives. Thanks to you -- LASP's donors, staff, pro bono volunteers, community partner agencies, advocates and friends -- many families are finishing 2018 in better situations.
|
|
William J. Gallagher, Esq., honored for outstanding, dedicated service to LASP as 2016-18 Board of Directors President
The LASP Board of Directors recognized
William J. Gallagher,
Esq. Dec. 12 for outstanding and dedicated service to LASP during his tenure as President of the Board from April 27, 2016 to June 27, 2018.
Judith Algeo
, Esq., current President of the Board, presented the award.
|
 |
|
|
Michelle R. Terry, Esq. to be awarded PLAN Excellence Award
|
|
 |
| Michelle R. Terry, Esq. |
|
Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network announced its 2019 Excellence Award winners on Dec. 5. Congratulations to Michelle R. Terry, Esq., longtime LASP Delaware County Managing Attorney, who will be one of the 2019 recipients! Awards will be presented March 26 in Harrisburg.
Congratulations also to
Nancy R. Paul, Executive Director of the Montgomery Bar Association and member of the LASP Board of Directors, and
Nancy Walsh, Special Project Development Coordinator for the Montgomery Bar Association. They're being honored
for their work at Montgomery Bar on behalf of low-income residents of the county. The full list of recipients, along with winners of the 2019
O
utstanding Leadership in Support of Legal Services Awards, can be found at:
http://bit.ly/2POgut9.
|
|
|
Pro bono work:
The Gift of Giving
"
Being the Pro Bono Coordinator at Curtin & Heefner (for too many years to count!)
has been an eye-opening experience. Attorneys continually return from the Courthouse after Wednesday Protection from Abuse hearings with a new appreciation for the needs of both victims and those wrongly accused. Stories are often shared with smiles for a good outcome or with tears for the victims of abuse. ...
Connecting Legal Aid clients with Curtin & Heefner attorneys to provide legal representation in emergency PFAs, license suspensions and evictions has been rewarding for all involved."
--
Bonnie Stein, Esq.
|
|
|
USA Today op-ed: "W
hen it comes to some of life's most consequential problems, restricted and unequal access to civil courts is the rule, not the exception"
 In an op-ed in USA Today posted Dec. 18, Martha Bergmark, Executive Director of Voices for Civil Justice, discusses the importance of civil legal aid and improvements to the civil justice system to increase access to justice. The op-ed is entitled "America's civil justice system needs reform, too."
She writes, "Millions of Americans can't afford to pay an attorney. Consequently, in three out of four state civil court cases, one or both sides have no legal representation or help." Bergmark is also former president of the Legal Services Corp., a major funder of LASP.
|
| Highlights from the counties |
|
Delaware County
MLK, Jr. Day of Service Expungement Clinic
Monday, Jan. 21, 2019
LASP advocates and pro bono volunteers will provide legal services at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Expungement Clinic. State Sen. Anthony Williams' office and State Rep. Joanna McClinton's office are sponsoring this free event from noon to 2 p.m. at Academy Park High School, 300 Calcon Hook Road, Sharon Hill, PA 19079. Training for pro bono volunteers will occur beforehand. For volunteer training details and/or to sign up for pro bono volunteering, please contact Tom Kerstan, Esq., LASP Delaware County Pro Bono Coordinator, at 610-874-8421 or tkerstan@lasp.org.
|
|
|
Chester County
Chesco Attorneys: Can you meet the CHALLENGE?
CCBA & CCBF will donate $40,000 to LASP
if attorney campaign raises $50,000!
Two challenges were presented to attorneys at the Chester County Bar Association annual meeting Dec. 6.
If the Chester County attorney campaign raises $50,000 for LASP, the CCBA and Chester County Bar Foundation EACH will donate $20,000 to LASP! To support the LASP Chester County Attorney Campaign, please visit our secure site:
http://bit.ly/LegalAidHelps. You can designate Chester County when you donate.
THANK YOU to the
Chester County Bar Foundation for a
$15,000 grant for custody work, and to the
Chester County Young Lawyers' Division for your $1,500 grant!
|
|
| Christine Zaccarelli, Esq., Chester County Bar Foundation President, presents LASP with a ceremonial check for $15,000 for custody work. Rachel Houseman, LASP Chester County Managing Attorney, accepts the grant on behalf of LASP. |
|
|
|
Wesley Legg, Chair of the Young Lawyers' Division, and Rachel Houseman. The Young Lawyers' Division contributed $1,500 to LASP.
Photos courtesy of the
Chester County Bar Association
and
Brian Doyle, LASP Staff Attorney.
|
|
|
|
|
Chester County
Encore! 2018: Thanks to CCPA
The Chester County spirit was in full force Nov. 14 at an Encore! fundraiser in West Chester, benefiting the
Chester County Paralegal Association
and LASP. Huge THANK YOU to CCPA for organizing the evening and for your $5,000 donation to LASP. Thanks also to all sponsors; performers; speakers; auctioneer Lou Teti, Esq.; volunteers; attendees; and donors for your support! More photos are at LASP's Flickr page:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/142836348@N05/1368PK.
|
|
|
Representatives from the Chester County Paralegal Association Fundraising Committee, Michele Luczeczko (at left); Don Bristol, CCPA Treasurer; Barb Butler (second from right) CCPA President; and Luciann Givonetti (at right), CCPA Vice President; proudly present a donation of $5,000 to Deborah Steeves, LASP Staff Attorney, and Rachel Houseman, LASP Chester County Managing Attorney, on behalf of those who supported the Nov. 14 Encore! event. Photo courtesy of CCPA.
|
|
|
| Ann Marie Romani (at left), Robyn Podgorski, Luciann Givonetti, and Linda Ridpath welcome attendees at Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center, West Chester. |
|
|
|
| William Gallagher, Esq. (at left), LASP Board of Directors, joins LASP staff members Sandra Ortiz, Chester County Receptionist; Brian Doyle, Staff Attorney & Chester County Pro Bono Coordinator; John Farrell, Staff Attorney; and Kesha James, Deputy Director for Advocacy. |
|
|
|
| Bill Mayer, Sheila Drewen-Mayer, and Catherine Voit. |
|
|
|
| Don Bristol plays the piano to cap the evening. |
|
|
|
|
Bucks County
Bucks Bar presents service honors & pro bono awards
at annual meeting & dinner
The Bucks County Bar Association honored some of its members for their service in 2018 at its Dec. 6 annual meeting and dinner.
Judith Algeo, Esq., LASP Board of Directors President, and several pro bono attorneys received recognition.
Congratulations to
Judith A. Algeo, President of the LASP Board of Directors, and
Shari R. Gelfont Williams, a pro bono attorney, for the honors bestowed at the Bucks County Bar Association dinner.
Photo above left (from left): Charissa Liller, Esq., Judith Algeo, Esq., and Jessica Pritchard, Esq, BCBA President. Judith received the Harriet M. Mims Award.
Photo above right: Shari Gelfont Williams, winner of the Arthur B. Walsh, Jr. Award; Jennifer Pierce, LASP Doylestown Managing Attorney; and Jessica Pritchard. Photos courtesy of the Bucks County Bar Association.
|
|
|
| Diane C. Mellott, Esq. |
|
Each year, the Bucks County Bar Association recognizes pro bono attorneys for
pro bono service "above and beyond." This year's pro bono certificates recognized attorneys who provided pro bono representation in Protection from Abuse plaintiff and defendant representation, and those who acted as mediators in the Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program. Jennifer Pierce, LASP Doylestown Managing Attorney, presented the 2018 awards at the annual meeting, held in the Bucks County Courthouse ceremonial courtroom. THANK YOU to all recipients for your pro bono efforts:
Christopher Brill,
Jahn S. Chesnov,
Martin N. Ghen,
MaryBeth McCabe,
Diane C. Mellott, and
Amir Stark.
In addition, Jennifer presented a resolution honoring
Maryjane B. Kelley, Esq., who passed away in October. Maryjane served as Managing Attorney for LASP's Doylestown office from 2002-2018, retiring in September. She is much missed.
|
|
|
|
LASP clinic at Levittown Library results in 55 birth certificate requests
55 birth certificates requested! THANK YOU to all pro bono volunteers from
Penn Community Bank and Hill Wallack LLP for your assistance. Thanks also to the Levittown Branch of the Bucks County Free Library for hosting the LASP clinic on Nov. 9!
Birth certificates often are needed to receive medical assistance, housing and other public benefits, and to obtain a Pennsylvania driver's or non-driver's license. Individuals who attended the clinic met with a legal advocate who requested a Pennsylvania birth certificate, free of charge, for them and/or their minor children.
|
|
| Pictured from left: Francis Sullivan, Esq.; Tesla Thomas, LASP Staff Attorney; Randi Riefner, LASP Legal Assistant & Bucks County Assistant Pro Bono Coordinator; Todd Hurley, Chief Relationship Officer for Penn Community Bank; Rosemary Sullivan, Esq., LASP Board of Directors; Breandan Nemec, Esq.; Jeremy Puglia, Esq.; and Jennifer Pierce, Managing Attorney of the LASP Doylestown office. Additional volunteers not pictured: Robin Holmes, Esq.; Dawn Burke, Esq.; Josephine Lee, Esq.; and Cheryl Chamberlin, LASP Paralegal Intern. |
|
|
|
Montgomery County
Montgomery Bar Foundation grant supports LASP & other county organizations
|
|
| THANK YOU to the Montgomery Bar Foundation (MBF) for supporting LASP through a 2018 grant! MBF President Carl N. Weiner presented multiple Montgomery County agencies with grants Dec. 10 in Norristown. Pictured (from left) are Robin Jordan, Community Education Specialist for the Women's Center of Montgomery County; Vleidmy Velarde, Latino Outreach and Immigration Services Coordinator for HIAS Pennsylvania; Karen Buck, Executive Director of SeniorLAW Center; Carl Weiner; Mary Pugh, Executive Director of Montgomery County Child Advocacy Project; Kayleigh Silver, Program Manager, Your Way Home of Montgomery County; Alissa McBride, Supervisor for the Women's Re-Entry Initiative; and Kesha James, Deputy Director for Advocacy, Legal Aid of Southeastern PA. |
|
|
|
YOU can increase access to justice!
LASP's annual giving campaigns are under way. Your support makes an impact! To increase access to justice and support free civil legal aid for low-income and vulnerable people in Bucks, Chester, Delaware & Montgomery counties, please visit:
Your donation changes lives. Thank you!
|
|
