ELIZABETH FINN JOHNSON | November 25, 2019
Board member Elizabeth Finn Johnson tells us about her and her husband’s financial commitment to AVLF for the next 4 years.
Forty years. 480 months. 15,451 days. This year, Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation celebrates 40 years of providing pro bono legal services to the metropolitan Atlanta community, mobilizing thousands of volunteer lawyers to provide hundreds of thousands of hours of free legal services to Atlantans in times of crisis. Add it all up, and these services are worth millions of dollars to those in our community who could not otherwise obtain a lawyer to help them ensure that their rights to safe and stable homes and families are protected.
We have strengthened communities and literally saved lives.
In so doing, AVLF helps preserve faith in our legal system while simultaneously giving the lawyers in our city the opportunity to use their unique skills to make a difference.
Over that 40 years, AVLF has grown to be the largest provider of pro bono legal services in the city, more than tripling their staff in the last five years. AVLF has created innovative programs that have been cited as national models, doing more than simply providing legal help – we have strengthened communities and literally saved lives.
But this year, in celebration of this remarkable organization’s 40 years of making equal access to justice a reality in this city, we wanted to do more.
My husband, Stuart, and I have been privileged to support AVLF in a variety of ways for more than 20 years. We’ve both volunteered, I’ve served on the board for a decade, and we’ve also contributed financially. I have personally represented dozens of women seeking protective orders against abusive partners, and Stuart spent a decade participating in AVLF’s renowned Saturday Lawyers program.
But this year, in celebration of this remarkable organization’s 40 years of making equal access to justice a reality in this city, we wanted to do more. And so we pledged $40,000 dollars, to be given over four years, in recognition of the incredible work AVLF does, and the amazing work we have been able to do with AVLF to make a meaningful difference in our community.
Access to justice for all is the responsibility of all of us, and we are proud to recognize AVLF’s important role in making that a reality.
AVLF’s mission – to create safe and stable homes and families by inspiring attorneys to fight for equal justice – is more critical than ever. Access to justice for all is the responsibility of all of us, and we are proud to recognize AVLF’s important role in making that a reality.
15,451 days. 480 months. Forty years. We hope you will join us in this celebration – we promise, you will get far more than you give.
Elizabeth Finn Johnson is a dedicated volunteer in the Safe Families Office. Watch the video about our Safe and Stable Families program here.
