E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ’ S M E S S A G E
J o h n F . K y n e s - H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y B a r A s s o c i a t i o n
Bay area Legal Launches new “ Justice Works !” campaign in the Wake of coViD-19
“ We hope the funds raised from the campaign will provide Bay area Legal with the program support and flexibility we need to best serve the community in uncertain times .”
— Dick Woltman , ceo of Bay area Legal services
“ The COVID-19 recession is the most unequal in modern U . S . history .” 1
That ’ s the headline from an analysis conducted by the Washington Post this past fall about the economic impact of the pandemic and how it has overwhelmingly affected lowwage and minority workers .
And while the U . S . jobless rate has rebounded somewhat from a high of 14.7 % in April to about 6.3 % now , several demographic groups have recovered more slowly .
“ The sectors most deeply affected by [ COVID-19 ] disproportionately employ women , minorities and lower-income workers ,” former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke told the Post . Enter Bay Area Legal Services ( BALS ). BALS is the nonprofit law firm created in 1967 to provide free civil legal services to low-income residents . It now serves a five-county region in the Tampa Bay area .
In response to the pandemic and growing need in the community , BALS in January launched its new threeyear “ Justice Works !” capital campaign .
“ The idea behind the campaign is that ‘ Justice Works ’ to root out the inequities that keep people in poverty ,” said BALS longtime CEO Dick Woltman when the program was launched .
“ We hope the funds raised from the campaign will provide Bay Area Legal with the program support and flexibility we need to best serve the community in uncertain times ,” Woltman added . continued on page 13
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