Legal Aid Society Awarded Justice Assistance Fund Grant
NASHVILLE, Tenn. April 12, 2011 – The American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation Legal Services Delivery Committee has awarded a 2011 Justice Assistance Fund Grant to the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. The $5,000 grant, which also requires a $5,000 match, will be used to develop a planned giving program for the firm.
“According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 15.5 percent of Tennessee residents fall below the federal poverty line. The Legal Aid Society provides advocacy and education for these residents, but because of limited resources, we have to turn away three people for each one we serve,” said Saranne Winfield, grant manager. “This grant will help us develop and cultivate a successful planned giving program, to increase fundraising efforts and allow the Legal Aid Society to help families for many years to come.”
Legal Aid Society has eight offices that provide free civil legal assistance to low-income and vulnerable populations in 48 Tennessee counties. Legal Aid Society’s services provide families living in poverty an opportunity to obtain basic necessities, such as healthcare, housing, income, protection from family violence and access to basic goods and services.
Jane Ferrell, a consultant through Nashville’s Center for Nonprofit Management, will provide assistance with the program development. Ferrell has over 20 years of experience in development management with a background in nonprofit organizations and educational institutions.
Private bar members who have committed to be involved in the planning and implementation of the campaign include: Gail Vaughn Ashworth, Wiseman Ashworth Law Group, PLC; Charles W. Bone, Bone McAllester Norton, PLLC; James A. DeLanis, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz, PC; William L. Harbison, Sherrard and Roe, PLC; Susan L. Kay, Vanderbilt University Legal Clinic; and Charles H. Warfield, Stites and Harbison, PLLC.
Contact: Jeff Bradford/Erin Gagnon, 615 515 4888, info@bradfordgrp.com
The Legal Aid Society gives free civil legal aid to people who have nowhere else to turn. It has 34 attorneys working out of eight offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge, and Tullahoma. The Legal Aid Society is funded in part by United Way.