NWLS 2005 Annual Report

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From the Executive Director's Desk -- "Milestones"
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  Milestones mark the way and distance along the path. I have been thinking about milestones for some time, not only in my own life but also in the life of our legal aid program. Our program was given life in 1969 and has been going strong ever since. Certainly we have had our ups and downs but we emerge stronger than ever. In 2005, we passed many milestones along our journey through the calendar year. Our program was able to close 4380 cases in 2005 and we handled 5521 cases throughout the year.
 
  • In the fall, we completed our obligation under the Blossom Project which was funded by the Department of Justice Violence Against Women Section. This grant, which lasted about four years, enabled us to holistically assist victims of domestic violence in Crawford, McKean, Mercer, Venango and Warren Counties. We accomplished this through our partnership with the domestic violence advocacy organizations in those counties.
  • In 2005, we published our last People’s Voice newsletter under that name. In 2006, we renamed our newsletter Access to Justice. The name reflects what we believe our mission involves and mirrors the name of our local cable access television show
  • In the fall of 2005, the staff and board members reviewed our mission statement and ended up writing a new mission statement. Our new mission statement reads:

    Northwestern Legal Services assists low income individuals and families by guiding them through the legal system using advocacy and education to obtain justice with the goal of improving their quality of life and strengthening our community.

    This statement is what binds our organization together.

  • Legal Services Corporation made on an onsite visit to insure we were in compliance and to assess program performance.
  

One should compare where we are today versus the past. Many of our staff members have worked with legal aid programs for more than 25 years. Our program began in 1969, so these staff members have been with our organization for most of its existence. I have worked with a legal aid program from 1974 when I was a law student. Back then, the office was furnished with gray Steelcase Desks, typewriters (no computers), and onion skin paper for copies of letters and pleadings. In those days we were able to assist everyone who came through our doors to apply for services. We did not have priorities. How could we handle all of those applicants? First, we had more staff. Second, as we just began our services, many people did not have a clue of our existence nor of our mission. And third, there were fewer people below the poverty guidelines in the early 1970's.

One thing that has not changed since those early days of legal aid - the desire and commitment on the part of our staff to provide maximum high quality civil legal services to our low income communities. For that, I applaud our staff. I applaud our staff for all their hard work for low salaries. And last but not least, I applaud their dedication to our mission.

Our board of directors, which is made up of lawyers and low income people, give selflessly and without remuneration to guide our program into the future. These board members should be recognized and I thank them for their commitment.

And last but most important, we need to recognize the low income people of our community who struggle day-to-day to keep food in the mouths of their children and a roof over their children’s heads. We need to recognize the elderly and disabled people who must make choices between food and prescription drugs. We need to recognize the homeless who sleep on the sidewalks or in a cardboard box. There, but for the grace of God, go any of us.

Robert A. Oakley, Esq.
NWLS Executive Director