by Joseph F
. Cahill, Jr., Esq.
Vermont Bar Foundation Grants Over $1M in 2013
“Without the assistance we receive from the Vermont Bar Foundation, we would not be able to operate our Children First! and Vermont Immigrant Assistance projects, period. CF! now operates in three counties, and VIA operates statewide. Given that we staff these projects largely with student work, the return on investment to VBF and the citizens of Vermont is very high.”
- James May, Director South Royalton Legal Clinic at Vermont Law School Every year, the Vermont Bar Foundation
awards grants to organizations that pro- vide legal services to disadvantaged Ver- monters. In 2013, the Foundation grant- ed over one million dollars to twenty non- profits statewide. As a result, thousands of Vermonters will receive the legal assistance they deserve that would otherwise not be available to them.
In 2013, Foundation grants supported
programs in every part of Vermont. Through Have Justice – Will Travel, grant dollars support pro se litigants in cases involving abuse in rural families. The Community Re- storative Justice Center uses its VBF grant to offer a free monthly legal clinic to low- income residents and victims of domestic violence in Caledonia and southern Essex Counties. Foundation grants have been es- sential in the formation and continuation of the Legal Assistance Projects in Addison, Bennington, Franklin, Grand Isle, Rutland, Windham, Windsor, and Orange Counties. Foundation grants make legal repre- sentation possible for our most disadvan- taged and underrepresented citizens. For example, funding pays for part of operat- ing costs and attorney salaries for Vermont Legal Aid and Legal Services Law Line of Vermont. Grants support the Vermont Im- migration Project, the only organization in Vermont with a primary focus on assisting indigent asylum-seekers, victims of traf- ficking, torture survivors, and immigrants forced to leave their homeland or who are detained in Vermont. Although 95% of funding comes from In-
terest On Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA), the Foundation relies on generous con- tributions in the form of honorariums, Vt- SHARES, and donations to help ensure that no Vermonter is denied justice because of cost.
For more information on how to maxi- mize the interest generated on your IOLTA or to donate, please contact Debbie Bailey at
dbailey@vtbarfoundation.org or at 802- 223-1400.
32
THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • FALL 2013
www.vtbar.org
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40