Celebration Raises Funding to Help Prevent Homelessness

WHITE PLAINS – Almost 400 people showed their commitment to and support for Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV) during its 2017 Equal Access to Justice Dinner on April 6th at the Ritz Carlton, Westchester in White Plains.  The sold out event, which was co-chaired by Alfred E. Donnellan, Managing Partner at DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederker LLP, and David Boies, Chairman at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, raised more than $425,000 for the nonprofit organization which provides free, comprehensive, civil legal services to those that cannot afford it when their basic human needs are at stake.

At the Dinner, Barbara Finkelstein, LSHV’s CEO, spoke about the 36,000 people impacted by the organization’s work last year.  Across the Hudson Valley, 16% of children live in poverty, and 1 in 4 live at/or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Income Guideline Level which is $48,600 for a family of four.  “The people that we help are our neighbors, our daughters and sons… they are just like us, but after one major illness, job loss, or tragedy, the dominoes start to fall, and they end up in a desperate situation and in need of a helping hand.”

To help articulate that message, the organization premiered two videos at the event.  The first explained the purpose of LSHV’s Let Justice Grow 50th Anniversary Campaign and can be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/PE5RwS02RB8.  The second video showcased an intense and personal client story and can be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/KiFUkDZP6u4.  After both videos premiered, nationally renowned auctioneer, CK Swett, conducted a Fund-a-Need to raise additional dollars for the organization’s efforts to prevent homelessness for children and their families.

But the highlight of the evening was the three honorees recognized for their long-standing commitment to LSHV and the promise afforded to all citizens… Justice for All.  They included Philip M. Halpern, Managing Partner at Collier Halpern Newberg & Nolletti; Lucille Oppenheim, a long-time Board member and retired attorney from Gutterman & Oppenheim; and the international law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP.

While hundreds of individuals and businesses made generous contributions in support of the 2017 Equal Access to Justice Dinner, the event’s major sponsors included: Diamond Sponsors – An Anonymous Donation in honor of Philip M. Halpern; Boies Schiller Flexner LLP; DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr, LLP; Morrison & Foerster LLP; Platinum Sponsors – Lucille & Steven Oppenheim; Patterson Belknap Webb Tyler LLP; PepsiCo; and
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP; and Gold Sponsors – Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, LLP and Sher Tremonte LLP.

All of the funds raised through the event benefitted the organization’s Let Justice Grow 50th Anniversary Campaign which seeks to “Prevent homelessness for children and families across the lower and mid-Hudson Valley.”  LSHV achieves this goal by providing legal advice and counsel, and brief or extended representation to homeowners in foreclosure and tax proceedings, as well as tenants in unwarranted eviction cases to help families stay in their homes and remain productive members of society.

Regarding the importance of LSHV’s work to prevent homelessness, Finkelstein added, “Homelessness threatens the stability of families at the poverty level and imposes enormous costs on communities in the form of providing shelter, increased social services, and other acute services.  Children that are evicted and uprooted typically are set back six months or more in their education and families that are forced to move often lose important employment opportunities and cannot improve their income or prospects for the future.”

For more information about Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, to volunteer, or contribute to its Let Justice Grow 50th Anniversary Campaign, please visit www.lshv.org, or contact Tom Gabriel, Chief Development Officer, at 914-949-1305 ext 160.