On May 24^th Iowa Legal Aid played host to the 6^th Annual Dean’s Cup Golf Challenge held at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines. The Dean’s Cup pits the alumni of Drake Law School against the alums of the University of Iowa Law School in an allegedly friendly competition that benefits Iowa Legal Aid. The Drake alumni were victorious this year, but the big winner, other than the clients of Iowa Legal Aid, was Judge Eliza Ovrom who shot a hole-in-one and was the recipient of a $5000 prize for that accomplishment.

Judge Ovrom is pictured above receiving her check from Iowa Legal Aid Executive Director Dennis Groenenboom. Also in attendance at the check presentation, from left to right; Charles Hill, Iowa Legal Aid; Mark Schuling, Iowa Department of Revenue and Judge Ovrom’s husband; Greg Kenyon of the Bradshaw law firm and a member of the Dean’s Cup planning committee; Cindy Rybolt or Iowa Legal Aid; and Jeff Courter of Nyemaster Law Firm and also a member of the planning committee.

 

Admitted to practice in both Washington, D.C. and Iowa, Tom Fisher initially practiced in Washington with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and later with the firm of Arnold, Fortis and Porter. In 1969, Tom took a position in New York City with the law department of Meredith Corporation, one of the nation’s leading media and marketing companies. In 1972, he moved to Meredith’s headquarters office in Des Moines.

In 1994, Tom retired from Meredith Corporation, having risen to the rank of Vice President and General Counsel. Upon retirement, he spent a year as a law liaison in Krakow, Poland, as a part of the American Bar Association Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative. 

Tom was a member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society of Polk County from 1986 through 1993, serving as President of the Board in 1993. Beginning in 1996, through the present, he has volunteered in the legal aid office, representing low-income clients in guardianship matters. The cases assigned to Tom generally involve the establishment of a guardianship, and almost invariably involve a close family member seeking to care for either a profoundly-impaired adult or a child. Tom’s assistance continues after the guardianship is established. In addition to filing of annual reports, Tom assists guardians with obtaining court orders in a variety of situations including required court approval so wards can obtain needed medical services and Do-Not-Resuscitate orders when that is appropriate and consistent with guardians’ or wards’ wishes.

Since he began his volunteer efforts in 1996, Tom has donated thousands of hours to help low-income Iowans with guardianship issues. Iowa Legal Aid’s Board of Directors recognized Tom’s dedication and commitment to providing pro bono representation in 2004 with an Excellence in Service Award. Tom treats each Iowa Legal Aid clients with the same courtesy and respect as he treated his corporate clients. His philosophy is that clients of Iowa Legal Aid should feel they are getting the same service and respect that a private client would receive. He has a wonderful way of listening carefully to the needs and desires of his clients and others involved in this process, which can be heart-wrenching at times. He communicates complicated legal issues clearly to persons faced with tough decisions. He is well-respected by the probate court judge and staff. His professional, astute, always respectful style serves as an admirable model for other attorneys to emulate.

The time Tom spends in his pro bono service is not only a substantial assistance to Iowa Legal Aid in its role in providing service to low-income individuals, but also an important service to our community.

 

Long time Iowa Legal Aid volunteer Don Wine was honored recently by United Way of Central Iowa. Wine was one of two individuals recognized for their selfless volunteerism.

The 2010 LIVE UNITED Recognition Luncheon honored individuals and organizations who have advocated and volunteered in the Des Moines metro through the United Way of Central Iowa. The luncheon was held at The Meadows and Events Conference Center in Altoona on Tuesday, April 20.

In nominating Wine, Dennis Groenenboom, Iowa Legal Aid Executive Director noted,  “After two extraordinary careers, one in the United States Justice Department of Robert Kennedy, and another as a distinguished attorney for the Davis Law Firm representing some of the largest corporate interests in America; Don Wine retired, and went right back to work again. But this time he went back to work for those people whose poverty had all to often put them at a disadvantage when he saw them during his first career, and had made it impossible for them to seek his counsel during his second. For more than 17 years Don Wine has been an institution in the offices of first Polk County Legal Aid, and now Iowa Legal Aid. Don has volunteered so much for so long, that no accurate records can fully represent his contribution to the Hope, Dignity and Justice he has provided low-income and elderly Iowans. For years now he has volunteered half days, five days a week, ten months of the year, and 2009 was no exception.”

Iowa Legal Aid is honored to count Don Wine among our number.

Pictured with Don is Central Iowa Regional Office Managing Attorney Cindy Rybolt and Executive Director Dennis Groenenboom.

On January 31^st the Des Moines Register announced that Iowa Legal Aid, Goodwill Industries of Central Iowa, Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Iowa, Anawim Housing and Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa were finalists for the Aurora Award, given to organizations or institutions in central Iowa that make "a measurable difference in the community without thought to awards or public recognition."

The award, in its eighth year, began as an opportunity to recognize diverse contributions made in the community by organizations.

"The Des Moines Register takes great pride in our community," said Register publisher Laura Hollingsworth. "It's an honor to celebrate the people and organizations whose commitment and hard work guarantees a brighter future for the greater Des Moines area."

Iowa Legal Aid was nominated for the honor by Ivan Webber of the firm of Ahlers and Cooney P.C.  An independent and anonymous panel reviews the nominations and votes, with the top vote getters receiving recognition as finalists.

Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa was announced as the winner February 10^th at the Temple for Performing Arts in downtown Des Moines.

 

News Release

October 19, 2009

 

Contact: Steve Davis, Court Communications Officer, (515)725-8058

 

Iowa Supreme Court Promotes Pro Bono Legal Services

 

Des Moines, October 19,  2009—The Iowa Supreme Court issued a resolution today urging all lawyers to devote at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services each year. Lawyers who provide pro bono legal service donate their time and expertise to assist individuals who cannot afford legal counsel. The court also encourages judges to encourage pro bono service by lawyers. The court's resolution coincides with and recognizes the American Bar Association's first National Pro Bono Week Celebration October 25-31.

 

The resolution notes that "Many Iowans of limited means are unable to afford legal services to address their civil legal problems. Legal service organizations and volunteer lawyers do much to help address these needs for civil legal services."

 

"Despite the valiant efforts of Iowa's legal service organizations and thousands of volunteer lawyers, there is a substantial gap between the civil legal needs of those who cannot afford legal services and the resources available to meet those needs," said Chief Justice Marsha Ternus.  "Iowa Legal Aid Services estimates that more than 17,000 people who went to ILS for help were turned away or underserved. Many of those people needed legal assistance to help them secure or maintain basic needs such as housing, health care and safety.

 

"The Iowa Supreme Court recognizes and applauds the many Iowa lawyers who provide pro bono service," continued Chief Justice Ternus. "The Court strongly encourages each Iowa lawyer to volunteer. Judges should also encourage pro bono services by lawyers because judges have an interest and responsibility to ensure public access to justice."

 

National Pro Bono Week is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of pro bono lawyers and to recruit additional volunteers to help meet the legal needs of Iowa's most vulnerable citizens.

(Cedar Rapids, Iowa) – The Cedar Rapids Regional Office of Iowa Legal Aid has named Staff Attorney Lisa Gavin to the newly created position of Disaster Relief Coordinator. The intent of the position is to focus the office’s efforts in aiding those eligible residents who continue to struggle to recover from this year’s natural disasters throughout Iowa.

“We know that the disaster continues until everyone has recovered,” observed Gavin, “and we know many, many families are far from recovery and can use our assistance.”

Iowa Legal Aid, whose own Cedar Rapids office was damaged by flood water, has been busy since June in offering a wide range of assistance to qualified low-income and elderly families whose lives have been disrupted by the floods of 2008.

Helping individuals with landlord tenant issues in the days immediately following the flood, advising on disaster unemployment, insurance applications, FEMA, and SBA applications, and making referrals to health and mental health agencies, have been some of the key areas where Iowa Legal Aid has been able to provide assistance.

For Gavin, this new assignment is both exciting and personal. Like so many, she too saw her home sustain significant damage and her neighborhood torn apart as the waters raised this past June. “Recovery has become my new passion,” she reveals, “I know the resources are out there to help people, and I want to provide the connection.”

 

Des Moines Iowa(March 27, 2009) – Iowa Legal Aid has received $18,461 in grant support from Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino through its 2008 Community Betterment Grant Program. Two of the organizations major initiatives, the Health and Law Project and the Legal Hotline for Older Iowans will benefit from the two separate grants.

The Iowa Legal Aid Health and Law project identifies those cases where the systemic cause of the cycle of poor health is either caused or exacerbated by a problem that can best be addressed by legal advocacy. The Legal Hotline for Older Iowans provides free civil legal assistance for Iowans 60 or older.

“The demand for our services continues to rise in this troubled economy.  We are grateful that Prairie Meadows recognizes this need and continues to provide hope and dignity to low-income and elderly Iowans struggling against the times” said Dennis Groenenboom, Executive Director of Iowa Legal Aid.

Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grants are given to projects in one of four categories: arts & culture, economic development, education, and human services.

Since 1996, Prairie Meadows has contributed more than $399 million to promote education, economic development, agriculture, jobs and tourism is Iowa.

About Iowa Legal Aid:

Many Iowans, due to poverty, disability or circumstance, struggle and lose their way in our legal system. Iowa Legal Aid exists to provide them access to justice. Ultimately, justice means housing families, providing safety from domestic abuse, and security for the over 50,000 predominately women, children, people with disabilities and elderly Iowans served each year. Iowa Legal Aid serves as a safety net for thousands of low-income Iowans who require legal representation to secure the basic necessities for their lives. In 2008, Iowa Legal Aid closed nearly 22,000 cases statewide.

 

Des Moines (February 2^nd, 2009) Iowa Legal Aid today announced that Bonnie Campbell will be inducted into it’s Hall of Fame during the organizations annual event, Equal Justice After Hours, on Tuesday March 10^th at the Hotel Fort Des Moines.

Campbell, a former attorney general for Iowa, and a Clinton appointee in the United States Department of Justice as the first director of the office of Violence Against Women, will become the 15^th recipient of the honor which has been bestowed upon such other luminaries as Governor Robert D. Ray, Congressman Neal Smith, Senator Tom Harkin and Attorney General Tom Miller, and most recently Roxanne Conlin.

Equal Justice After Hours, a fund-raising event orchestrated by the Iowa Legal Aid Foundation to raise funds for Iowa Legal Aid, is a celebration of the hope and dignity restored to low-income Iowans through the efforts of the organization and its supporters. Campbell is being honored for her long time support, a natural outgrowth of her passion for those less fortunate.

Suku Radia, CEO and President of Bankers Trust will provide insightful comments and a touch of humor as the event’s speaker. Radia, a longtime member of the Des Moines business leadership is equally well known for his commitment to the community and to those less fortunate. He has served in dozens of volunteer roles and garnered numerous awards including Mr. Habitat 2006 and United Way’s Tocqueville Award.

Belin Law Firm will serve as the presenting sponsor and Sonya Heitshusen of WHO TV will preside as Master of Ceremonies. The Iowa Chapter of Association of Corporate Counsel is the platinum sponsor of the event.

Iowa State Bar Foundation Renews Support of Iowa Legal Aid’s Health and Law Project

$30,000 Grant Extends Support of Unique Legal/Medical Partnership

(Des Moines) August, 14th 2008 – Iowa Legal Aid’s Central Administrative Office today announced it was the recipient of a $30,000 grant from the Iowa State Bar Foundation.

Funding is for the second year of a three year $750,000 project and represents the second such grant bestowed by the Iowa State Bar Foundation, the first $30,000 grant being awarded in 2006.

The Health and Law Project unites the efforts of the attorneys at Iowa Legal Aid, and the medical staff of the Iowa Nebraska Primary Care Association Clinics in Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Ottumwa, Marshalltown, and Des Moines.

Focused on identifying underlying legal issues that are causing chronic medical conditions, the project is a unique collaboration between the medical and legal professions.

Often the chronic nature of a problem arises from insufficient knowledge or denial of an available health care benefit, or continued exposure to exacerbating circumstances. “In many cases the systemic cause of the cycle of poor health truly lays in the legal arena more than the health field,” explained Dennis Groenenboom, executive director of Iowa Legal Aid.

Consider the case of an HIV positive client suffering from schizophrenia and being evicted from federally subsidized housing. The Iowa Legal Aid attorney was able to reverse the eviction order and work with the health care staff to secure mental health case management services which would keep the client medication compliant.

This project, based on a model started by the Family Advocacy Program at the Boston Medical Clinic, seeks to improve the lives of low-income Iowans by addressing the legal issues behind their continued health related challenges, while providing the added value of reducing the health care expenses of both the client and the community. 

The project has been assisted throughout by the voluntary support of the Iowa State Bar Association Health Law Section whose members have provided counsel and advice to the project.

 

 

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Iowa Legal Aid Receives $10,000 Grant from Prairie Meadows

 

(Des Moines Iowa)  March 18, 2008 – Iowa Legal Aid has received a $10,000 grant from Prairie meadows Racetrack and Casino through its 2007 Community Betterment Grant program. Grants were awarded in late December with Iowa Legal Aid receiving allocated funds in January 2008. 

The funds will update aging and failing technology in the organization's Des Moines office, improving office efficiency and service delivery. 

The Prairie Meadows Grants Advisory Committee, comprised of education, religious and business leaders from the greater metro area, review all grant requests and recommends funding levels. This year, more than 190 projects shared in the funding allocations from Prairie Meadows. 

“Increasingly, improvements in non-profit technologies mean improvements in non-profit service; these funds will leverage our existing resources to a higher level,” commented Dennis Groenenboom, executive director of the statewide organization. 

Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grants are allocated to four categories: arts & culture, economic development, education, and human services.

Since 1995 Prairie Meadows has contributed more than $362 million to promote education, economic development, agriculture, jobs and tourism in Iowa.

 

 

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Iowa Legal Aid Honors Conlin and Welcomes Kaul

Des Moines (February 11th 2008) – Iowa Legal Aid has announced the election of Roxanne Barton Conlin to the Iowa Legal Aid Hall of Fame.  The induction ceremony will take place during this year's “Equal Justice After Hours”, the non-profit’s annual gala to launch its fundraising campaign.  In addition to the induction, the audience will be addressed by former Des Moines Register columnist Donald Kaul.

The event will take place March 13th at 6pm at the Hotel Fort Des Moines; tickets are available from Iowa Legal Aid for $50.

Conlin, a nationally recognized litigator on behalf of those harmed by others and a winner of numerous honors for both her legal and political efforts, is being honored for her longstanding support of the mission of Iowa Legal Aid.  In particular, the former gubernatorial candidate has given great assistance to the Iowa Legal Aid Equal Justice Project, a program dedicated to addressing, at a systemic level, the legal issues of victims of domestic abuse.

Conlin will enter a Hall of Fame which includes such Iowa luminaries as Governor Robert Ray, Senator Tom Harkin, Attorney General Tom Miller, Congressman Neal Smith and philanthropist Elizabeth Kruidenier.

Providing entertainment and insight at the event will be former Des Moines Register columnist and co-founder of RAGBRAI, Donald Kaul.  Returning to Iowa on the heels of the Iowa Caucuses, Kaul, a two time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, will share his always enjoyable insights into the workings of the body politic. 

Sonya Heitshusen of WHO TV will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the program which is preceded by a social hour beginning at 6pm. 

The event is made possible in part through the Platinum Sponsorship of Aviva.

Des Moines Iowa (January 17, 2008)—The Mid Iowa Health Foundation has provided Iowa Legal Aid a $10,000 grant in support of the organization’s Health and Law Project. The funding is a part of the Foundation’s twice annual ‘Community Response Grant’ program. The community response program is focused upon projects that affect specific health results in a target population. The Iowa Legal Aid grant was one of several awarded in December of 2007.

The $10,000 sum will assist with the personnel costs associated with the Health and Law Project operating out of Iowa Legal Aid’s Central Iowa Regional Office in Des Moines. The Health and Law Project is a collaborative endeavor targeting the often overlooked, or unaddressed systemic issues that result in chronic health related matters for low-income families.

Health care professionals can address medical issues; however, medical issues are not always the underlying contributor for the symptoms presented. Many low-income Iowans find themselves in an endless cycle of health related issues, frequently treating symptoms rather than causes. Such cases would include issues of domestic abuse, unhealthy rental housing, or cases of inadequate nutrition.

In every case a doctor could treat the symptoms, but an attorney would be required alleviate the cause. In many cases the systemic cause of the cycle of poor health truly lies in the legal arena more than the health field. Additionally the program has helped many with the complex social security disability and Medicare processes that often intimidate and exclude those unfamiliar with administrative law.

The Health and Law Project, a partnership in Des Moines with Primary Health Care, is based on a model started by the Family Advocacy Program at the Boston Medical Center, and successfully replicated at over 40 clinical sites nationwide. The program provides the added value of reducing the health care expenses of both the client and the community.

In addition to Des Moines, the Iowa Legal Aid Health and Law Project operates out of three other Iowa Legal Aid regional offices in Ottumwa, Sioux City and Council Bluffs. Additional financial support for the project has come from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Iowa Bar Foundation, West Bancorporation, Principal Financial Group, Prairie Meadows and Dorsey & Whitney Law Firm.