“We are literally changing the way the public understands healthy relationships and providing assistance with legal remedies to help people live their lives more safely and ending the cycle of violence.”

When AVLF launched the Standing with Our Neighbors program in September 2016, there were a lot of things we didn’t know, but one thing we did: families needed help. With enrollment turnover surging to 40% during the 2015-2016 school year, we knew families needed help to keep their kids in school. Here’s what we’ve accomplished so far, by the numbers.

Erica Taylor is many things: an aunt, a lawyer, a fighter. But her newest title is the one we are most excited about. She will soon become our Safe & Stable Homes Project Staff Attorney, taking over AVLF’s flagship program, the Saturday Lawyer Program.

I am a guardian ad litem because I love having a positive impact on families. But I take cases through AVLF because they provide the support I need to be successful in confronting challenging issues and to develop my skills. That’s why I will continue to take pro bono cases through AVLF—and I encourage others to, as well.

Project CEO is a presentation that allows students to show what they have learned from their companies. At AVLF, I have learned the value of client service, giving back to the community by helping the less fortunate, and the importance of paying attention to detail.

One Saturday morning at AVLF I showed up bleary-eyed, half thinking about the Saturday morning activities I was giving up. And then I met Ms. Danielson.

“This experience completely opened my eyes to a problem I had no idea existed. It has forever changed me for the better. There are all of these issues with housing happening right in our backyard. I couldn’t be closer to these problems, and yet I had no idea they were going on.” – GSU Law Student

Shortly after Christan started working at AVLF at the beginning of March, we spoke her with about what brought her to the organization, what she hopes to accomplish while working here, and how she stays involved in her community.

When you think of February 14 do you think of…candy? Chocolate? Big red balloons and flowers? Whether you’re counting down the days or would prefer to not leave your covers, this date typically elicits strong emotions. But what if that’s because we’re thinking about it all wrong?

Good evening. My name is Michael Lucas and I have the privilege of being the Deputy Director of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation. Our Safe Families Office is the place where AVLF – through our volunteers – literally saves lives. By watching – and getting more involved in – the amazing work that we do in that program over my seven years at AVLF, I have learned a lot about intimate partner violence. I have learned that it touches everyone.

In the first 120 days of Standing with Our Neighbors, more than 100 volunteers have contributed to this innovative initiative.

The Fourth Annual AVLF PurSHOEing Justice, which is presented by Esquire Deposition Solutions and benefits AVLF’s Safe Families Office, will feature a giant silent auction, exciting vendors, excellent food and drink, and a dynamic guest of honor.