Press release from Pisgah Legal Services:
(Asheville, NC) – Local attorney Bob Pitts remembers what life was like in Asheville more than 40 years ago, before Pisgah Legal Services existed. “A person who had a civil matter and who could not afford to pay a lawyer to represent them was usually out of luck,” recalls Pitts.
That changed in 1978 when Pitts and a small group of attorneys decided to start a charity that would provide free, civil legal aid. Now known as Pisgah Legal Services (PLS), this established nonprofit provides free civil legal aid to those living in poverty and assists more than 16,800 people annually in WNC: helping them escape domestic violence and abuse, avoid homelessness, secure affordable health care and more.
On April 11, approximately 450 PLS supporters will gather at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel at 5:30 pm to celebrate at the annual Jazz for Justice event and honor Bob Pitts and several other extraordinary supporters: Patricia and Terry Call, Tom and Lyn Leslie and Bob Deutsch.
Jazz for Justice is open to the public and tickets are $50/person. The event will feature food and drink with live jazz entertainment. Proceeds will support PLS’ work to help thousands of low-income people meet their most basic needs. Limited tickets are available online at www.pisgahlegal.org or by calling (828) 210-3444.
About the Honorees:
Patricia and Terry Call will receive this year’s Terry Van Duyn Community Volunteer Award which honors outstanding Pisgah Legal Services volunteers. The Calls began volunteering with Pisgah Legal Services in 2013 as Certified Application Counselors, helping local people learn about and sign up for Affordable Care Act health insurance. “I really like that we have been able to see many of the same people from year to year,” says Terry. “We get to see how having insurance has helped people not only improve their health but their lives.”
Tom and Lyn Leslie will be honored with The Arnold and Bernice Green Philanthropy Award which was created to recognize exceptional generosity that demonstrates commitment to providing access to justice for low-income people in WNC. The Leslies are the owners of Leslie and Associates, Inc. and Asheville.com and have been long-time supporters of Pisgah Legal Services. The Children’s Law Project is one of their favorite programs. “Supporting families with children only serves to strengthen the fiber of the Asheville community,” says Lyn.
The PLS Karl H. Straus Board Member Emeritus Award is bring presented to Bob Deutsch for his exemplary service on Pisgah Legal Board of Directors. In addition to serving on the Board, Deutsch has participated in outreach and fundraising efforts, helped spearhead the endowment fund, and consistently takes pro bono cases. Bob is a past president of the 28th Judicial District Bar and practices at his law firm, Robert J. Deutsch & Associates. He says, ” I admire how [PLS Executive Director] Jim Barrett and staff are proactive by offering education, projects that provide preventive solutions, increasing access to health insurance, immigration clinics and so on. They aren’t just responding to individual legal situations. They are looking to make a difference in the community.”
Bob Pitts is receiving The Roy W. Davis, Jr. Award which recognizes pro bono attorneys who make exemplary contributions to assist Pisgah Legal clients. Pitts was one of the original incorporators of the Legal Aid Service, which would ultimately become Pisgah Legal Services, and served on its first board of directors. Pitts specializes in bankruptcy law at Pitts, Hay & Hugenschmidt, P.A. in Asheville and also volunteers pro bono with Pisgah Legal Services. He says, “I have supported Pisgah Legal over the years since I believe it has been and will continue to be a lifeline for those who urgently need a lawyer but cannot afford to hire one.”
Pisgah Legal wishes to thank the local businesses and individuals that are generously sponsoring the nonprofit. Lead sponsors include Champions for Justice: 98.1 The River; AVL Technologies; Anchor QEA; Pisgah Plants; Walnut Cove Members Association; and Wicked Weed Brewing. And Partners for Justice: Biltmore; Blossoms Creative; Blue Ridge Public Radio; Brain Hooks; The Daniels Group; Eurosport Asheville; Hi-Wire Brewing; HomeTrust Bank; Jay Kerr Law; Leslie and Associates; McGuire, Wood & Bissette, P.A.; Paramount Kia; PNC; PSAV; Renaissance Asheville Hotel; Roberts & Stevens; Security Camera Warehouse; Stone & Christy, P.A.; The Van Winkle Law Firm; Ward and Smith, P.A.; and Wells Fargo.
Since 1978, Pisgah Legal Services has helped low-income people meet their basic needs, such as protection from domestic violence, avoiding homelessness, finding safe housing, accessing health care and increasing income. PLS has a staff of 25 attorneys, and relies heavily on the pro bono legal services of approximately 300 volunteer attorneys and the help of more than 100 office and navigator volunteers. Last year local people donated more than 15,000 volunteer hours to Pisgah Legal Services. The nonprofit’s main service area includes eight counties in WNC, with offices in Asheville, Brevard, Hendersonville, Marshall and Rutherfordton. For more information, call Pisgah Legal Services at 828-253-0406 or toll free at 800-489-6144 or go to www.pisgahlegal.org.
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