Posted December 6, 20191:05 pm
The Legal Aid Society’s 114th Annual Meeting was a fitting start to Thanksgiving week, as more than 1,000 community members and supporters of Legal Aid gathered at the Hilton in downtown Cleveland to celebrate collaboration, accomplishments, and hope.
The event is always a cherished opportunity for civic-minded friends and colleagues to connect. As attendees chatted and enjoyed the Hilton’s delicious lunch, a chorus of young voices rose from the front of the room. A 4th and 5th grade choir from Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Campus International School had quietly assembled on stage and started singing, “This Land is Your Land.” Soon everyone but the children had hushed, and Woodie Guthrie’s inspirational words, sung with innocence and optimism, captivated the entire room. (Click here to hear the performance now.)
The theme of this year’s program, “Pass It On,” was inspired by a quote from Thurgood Marshall, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court: “Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.”
Colleen Cotter, Esq., Executive Director of Legal Aid, shared examples of Legal Aid’s impact on families and members of our community. She outlined the landmark policies in Cleveland that were made possible by Legal Aid’s collaboration and partnership: First, a law mandating all rental homes become lead-safe by 2023; and second, a law guaranteeing the right to legal counsel for poor families facing eviction. Over the course of 2019, thanks to early success with The Campaign for Legal Aid, Legal Aid also forged new partnerships (including one with Say Yes to Education), grew its staff, engaged more volunteer attorneys, and renovated its downtown office to better serve the community.
Cotter urged everyone in the audience to take these successes, this positive impact – and pass it on.
The Honorable Nathan Hecht, Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, delivered the event’s rousing keynote address, with an equally passionate introduction from Jim Sandman, President of the Legal Services Corporation.
Awards were also presented to Legal Aid staff and community partners. The Louis Stokes Paragon Award, Legal Aid’s highest honor, was presented to The City of Cleveland, represented by Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Cleveland City Council, for the aforementioned legislative achievements that will create ripples of hope for thousands of low-income Clevelanders. Other partner award recipients were: Patrick Haggerty, Esq., of Frantz Ward; the law firms McDonald Hopkins and Thompson Hine; Fatima Family Center; Geauga County Bar Association; and West Side Catholic Center.
A surprise “challenge match” reinforced the meeting’s overall message of “pass it on.” Legal Aid Board President Matt Nakon announced that his law firm, Wickens Herzer Panza, will match every gift given to Legal Aid through December 9th. For more details on the match, please visit www.lasclev.org/2019match.
To learn more about The Campaign for Legal Aid, visit www.extendjustice.org