Alex Gulotta & Julian Bond

"On the evening of November 14th, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Legal Aid Society held a reception at Star Hill on West Main Street for some two hundred donors and friends. The new music and dance space is on the second floor. It fills a gap in Charlottesville by being both large, efficient and elegant. Corin Capshaw kindly donated the venue for the evening. The planning was largely done by Jane Matthews and Beth Neville Evans.

Ron Tweel & Bob Downer

The event last night had a dual purpose. First to recognize the generous contributions from the members of the Charlottesville-Albemarle
Bar. We were warned that lawyers are not givers. That is not true. Over a majority of the local Bar responded. Over one hundred became an Equal Justice Partner by donating $1,000 or more. These special donors received a ceramic owl pin.

Bosley Crowther & Ed Wayland

We believed that it was necessary to ask the Bar for their support before going to the public-at-large. Their endorsement -- proven by their contributions -- is a testament to the goals of Legal Aid and the quality of the work done here in Charlottesville. The second purpose of the event was to kick off the campaign beyond the Bar to the community.

Mariflo Stevens & Virginia Daugherty

The initial Capital Campaign for Legal Aid is to raise funds to secure a permanent headquarters. The Campaign goal is $1,000,000. (There is a parallel Campaign for an endowment fund to level out the funding spikes caused by the ups and severe downs of government support.) John Grisham is the Chairman of the effort.

CALAS has moved five times, or an average of once every five years. The reasons for the moves vary slightly, but all spin around the theme that the landlord could bring in a higher paying tenant. Having floating offices is confusing to our clients and inefficient for the staff. Like Region Ten, JABA, IRC, etc. we want to focus on providing services and not moving boxes.

Jane Matthews & Deborah McDowell

The Perry Foundation has given a significant matching grant. The required match has already been met. The City and County have budgeted over $250,000 to the building fund. But there is a ways to go. In the coming year we will be having some challenging and, hopefully, fun events.

Julian Bond

This festive occasion was graced with the kind remarks of Julian Bond, National Chair, NAACP.

"The Case for Giving" is a new brochure designed by Susan Payne. It is available by calling: Charlottesville-Albemarle Legal Aid Society, Alex Gulotta, Director, 617 West Main Street, 3rd Floor, Charlottesville, VA 22903, 977-0553" (John Conover, electronic mail, November 15, 2000).

Editor's Note: All pictures shown were taken by Mary Bauer, with the exception of those of Julian Bond, which were taken by George Loper.