Legal Aid’s 119th Annual Meeting with Keynote Speaker Ruby Bridges, Awards Presentation

By Tonya Sams

Civil rights icon, activist and author Ruby Bridges will be the featured keynote speaker at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland’s 119th Annual Meeting on November 25.  The afternoon program and reception will be held at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown at 2pm.

Ms. Bridges will be delivering her keynote remarks via a conversation with award-winning American broadcast journalist and Legal Aid supporter, Lori Stokes. Ms. Bridges will also receive Legal Aid's highest honor, the Louis Stokes Paragon Award.

This year’s theme is centered around the words of Legal Aid’s 2011 annual meeting keynote speaker, the late Congressman John Lewis: “Freedom is not a state; it is an act. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take…to create an even more fair, more just society.”

Legal Aid will also honor some of the many staff members that make an impact on its client community. Staff honorees are:

Maria Smith - C. Lyonel Jones Lifetime Achievement Award
Katherine Hollingsworth, Leadership Award
Kimberly Barnett-Mills - Claude E. Clarke Award
Julia Lauritzen - Claude E. Clarke Award
Olivia Pollack - Claude E. Clarke Award
Anna Seballos - Claude E. Clarke Award

Legal Aid depends upon the many volunteers that help provide free, high quality legal services to those with low incomes through its Volunteer Lawyers Program. About 20% of people each year that are helped by Legal Aid are assisted by a pro bono attorney. This year’s volunteer award recipients are:

David Kutik - Legacy of Justice Award
Lynn Rowe Larsen – Access to Justice Award
Daniel Leizerman - Access to Justice Award
Delores Gray – Community Impact Award
Judge Terri Stupica - Community Impact Award

For information on Legal Aid’s 119th Annual Meeting, go to: lasclev.org/legalaid119annualmeeting and lasclev.org/2024event

Founded in 1905, The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is the fifth oldest legal aid organization in the United States. Serving residents of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Lorain counties, Legal Aid staff and volunteers secure justice, equity, and access to opportunity for and with people who have low incomes through passionate legal representation and advocacy for systemic change. In 2023, The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland handled more than 9,000 cases, helping more than 24,000 people.

Do you need assistance with a legal civil matter? Legal Aid may be able to help. Call 888-817-3777 or visit lasclev.org/contact for more information.

Story published in The Lakewood Observer: Legal Aid’s 119th Annual Meeting with Keynote Speaker Ruby Bridges, Awards Presentation