ASHLEIGH STARNES | December 26th, 2019
For some Atlantans, the pressure of holiday gift-giving can be a source of stress and sadness. This year, we teamed up with several sponsors to provide holiday gifts for families who couldn’t otherwise afford them.
The holidays are a time to celebrate our loved ones – and the tradition of gift-giving is a precious way that we do so.
But many Atlantans are struggling this holiday season. When a family is trying to stabilize after facing intimate partner abuse, a survivor might not have the resources to provide gifts to their children. And if a family is struggling to keep up with their rent and utilities, purchasing gifts can be a source of heavy stress and anxiety.
We do everything we can to provide care and support to Atlanta families in crisis – from the courtroom to the Christmas tree.
This year, various staff members, partners, and friends of our organization came together to sponsor families for the holidays, providing gifts and support to Atlanta families.
Although we are a legal services organization, we know that the issues our clients face reach far beyond the courtroom. At AVLF, we do everything we can to provide care and support to Atlanta families in crisis – from the courtroom to the Christmas tree.
- LaKeta Whitaker, one of our Standing with Our Neighbors Community Advocates, coordinated AVLF’s sponsorship of 25 students at Gideons Elementary for their 2nd Annual Gideons Giving Tree.
- Hunton Andrews Kurth also sponsored two of our Safe and Stable Families clients for the holidays.
- The Georgia Paralegal Association and Butler Snow LLP each sponsored sponsored one of our Saturday Lawyer Program clients – incuding a single mother of four.
- Our former Community Advocate Christal Reynolds and her band, Surround Sound, purchased gifts for a Standing with Our Neighbors family on the Westside.
As we look forward into the next decade, we imagine a city in which each and every family has the safety and stability they need to thrive – for the holiday season and beyond.
As we look forward into the next decade, we imagine a city in which each and every family has the safety and stability they need to thrive – for the holiday season and beyond.
But until then, in the spirit of generosity, kindness, and fierce advocacy, we’ll keep standing with low-income Atlanta families as they fight for equal justice.
Read last month’s Letter from Leadership on gratitude.
Ashleigh Starnes
Communications Manager
As AVLF’s Communications Manager, Ashleigh develops strategy, design, and content for AVLF’s digital and print communications. She’s deeply committed to sharing resources and education with her community at large – and makes it her mission to support AVLF’s programs and outreach in all they do.
Ashleigh is an Atlanta native. Before joining AVLF, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey. Ashleigh holds a Bachelor’s in English and Linguistics from the University of Georgia. She is also a performance artist, and can occasionally be seen performing movement pieces, poetry, and combinations of the two around Atlanta and beyond.
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