Posted November 1, 20242:00 pm
last updated 11/1/2024
Thank you for being a Partner in Justice! This toolkit has resources to help you promote Legal Aid with your colleagues. If you have specific questions, toggle to the bottom of the page for staff contact info.
Encourage others to give
Year end is approaching, and many people are considering their charitable gifts. This is a great time to share information about Legal Aid! If you are planning an event or workplace giving drive in the coming months, please get in touch so we can support you with content, handouts, or any other materials you need: 216-861-5415 or smendez@lasclev.org
The following language can be copy/pasted right into an email, social media post, and more. Feel free to personalize as you see fit – perhaps include your own story of why you choose to support Legal Aid. (That extra personal touch makes all the difference!)
SAMPLE LANGUAGE:
We dream of a world where our community thrives, and no one has to worry about basic needs – like stable housing, economic security, and access to the justice system. Legal Aid is doing its part to make this possible by providing free civil legal counsel to people who have low incomes. This mission centers on a vision for Northeast Ohio to be a place in which all people experience dignity and justice, free from poverty and oppression.
As we enter the season of giving, join me in supporting Legal Aid. Together, we can help Legal Aid bring the power of the law to more families so they can live safer, healthier, and more financially stable lives. Make your gift today: lasclev.org/donationform
Legal Aid's 119th Annual Meeting
Ruby Bridges – civil rights icon, activist, author – is the featured keynote speaker at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland’s 119th Annual Meeting. The Monday, November 25, 2024 event features an afternoon program and reception at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown. Click here for more info.
If your organization has not yet confirmed tickets, they can be purchased online until 8am on November 25th, the day of the event. Or you can send an email request to: smendez@lasclev.org if you would like to be invoiced for tickets.
Legal Aid Volunteer Honor Societies
During October’s National Celebration of Pro Bono, we reflected on the tremendous contributions of our volunteers. At a special event on October 23, 2024, we inaugurated new honor societies to recognize pro bono attorneys who joined us at many neighborhood clinics, and those who have volunteered many hours.
We are proud to recognize so many of our volunteer lawyers through the Time Well Spent Honor Society and the Community Commitment Honor Society. This is the inaugural honor list for these groups, representing 20 years of our Volunteer Lawyers Program. We encourage you to celebrate the individuals on your team who are honor society members, and share the details of how to volunteer with Legal Aid.
Continuing Legal Education opportunities
To help encourage pro bono, and keep current volunteers up-to-date, Legal Aid offers a range of CLE Attorney Training sessions throughout the year. See our calendar for upcoming opportunities and share them within your organization.
Quick Videos
Legal Aid has a terrific YouTube channel with informative videos on Legal Aid's mission, practice, and volunteering. Check out the new ‘how-to’ videos in our series “Legal-Ease: Making Pro Bono Easy" - check out our YouTube playlist!
Legal Aid in the News
As you spread the word about Legal Aid's good work - here are a few news items to share:
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is proud to be featured in the 2024 Crain's Cleveland Business Giving Guide. The profile features information about how people can donate, volunteer, and spread the word about Legal Aid's efforts to extend justice across Northeast Ohio. Learn more by viewing the guide: Giving Guide 2024-The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland | Crain's Cleveland Business
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland relies on the dedication and expertise of volunteers to assist its many clients. Each year, up to 20% of the people helped by Legal Aid are assisted by a pro bono attorney. Legal Aid's Volunteer Lawyers Program is proud to announce its 2024 volunteer award winners. These individuals performed exceptional service during the past year for Legal Aid's clients - and for that they deserve recognition.
Impact Stories
Here are two recent Legal Aid success stories. Feel free to copy/paste into an email to your organization or social media post:
Iris (name changed to protect privacy) had been receiving her social security benefits without fail until she received a notice from the Social Security Administration (SSA) that she had an overpayment of over $18,000.
There was no way that Iris could afford to pay back this amount and she knew that the notice must have been a mistake but needed help proving it. Iris then called Legal Aid for help.
Her Legal Aid attorney contacted SSA on her behalf. They learned that when Iris's daughter was a child that she was the payee and received social security benefits in Iris's name but had established her own SSA record when she had become an adult. Her daughter actually owed the overpayment, not Iris.
Her attorney worked with SSA to correct the issue stating that because Iris was no longer the payee for her daughter’s benefits that she should not be responsible for paying back the overpayment. Iris continued to receive overpayment notices from SSA. Once again, her attorney called SSA to inquire about the notices. SSA informed her attorney that the notices were incorrect, and that Iris's benefits would no longer be affected.
Thanks to her Legal Aid attorney, Iris no longer had to worry about a financial hardship that she was not responsible for.
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Anthony (names changed to protect privacy) couldn’t stand to see his friend, Sharon, suffering as she was recovering from hip surgery.
Sharon allowed Anthony to move into her home. She paid him to help take care of the housework and yard work. While still recovering from hip surgery, Sharon fell ill. Sharon’s daughter then decided that it would be best to move Sharon to her home. Sharon had promised Anthony, that once she moved out, she would allow him to rent or purchase her property.
Anthony was grateful to Sharon. He was glad that he could settle in and not worry about having to relocate. Unfortunately, Sharon and her daughter decided to lease the home to another family member leaving Anthony with no place to go.
Anthony was hurt that Sharon had not kept her word to him, but the bigger issue was where would he go? He had not saved any money towards moving because he believed that he would be able to live in Sharon’s home. Anthony had been looking for work, but it was too late – he was served an eviction notice.
Anthony knew he couldn’t fight this alone, so he contacted Legal Aid for help. His Legal Aid attorney argued that Anthony never received proper notice to vacate the property. The case was dismissed which allowed Anthony enough time to look for another place to live.
MAKE A GIFT TODAY:
Support Legal Aid with a gift and encourage your colleagues to do the same – Donate now.
Please follow Legal Aid on social media and share our posts – We’re active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram!
Questions? Contact Shauna: 216-861-5415 or smendez@lasclev.org.
Visit here often to:
- Grab timely messaging you can use for internal communications at your firm/organization. Simply copy and paste!
- Learn about our latest events and news.
- Connect with us.
You are a valued advocate for our mission; we appreciate your passionate advocacy for Legal Aid!