Join MAP for Giving Tuesday!

Today MAP is participating in Giving Tuesday–the global celebration of giving. Through our work increasing access to justice, we ensure that survivors of domestic violence, vulnerable older adults, people with disabilities, immigrants, farmworkers, and many other individuals and families in need can secure safety, independence, and economic stability. But we can’t do this without you!

Not only do we need your support, we need your help to spread the word. Please tell your friends and family why you believe in our work and encourage them to support us too!

Join us by giving via our online form: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/9rQOhQ?vid=r4ve3 If you are an attorney, you can donate through the Michigan State Bar Foundation Access to Justice campaign here. 100% of your donation will be distributed to support civil legal aid throughout Michigan.

Give

Go to https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/9rQOhQ?vid=r4ve3 and give!

If you are a Michigan attorney, please donate directly to the Michigan State Bar Foundation Access to Justice campaign: https://e.michbar.org/Donations/ATJ?ID=ATJ

Spread the word

Encourage your friends and family to join you in creating a real impact today by sharing what our mission means to you and why you support our organization or sharing our annual report, newsletters or social media posts with your networks.

Get involved

You can also support MAP through our pro bono opportunities: https://miadvocacy.org/get-involved/pro-bono-volunteer

We welcome volunteer attorneys in each of our counties and programs.

On behalf of our team and our clients, we thank you for being a part of this critical work to ensure access to justice for all.

MAP Updates

MIRC hosts open house in Detroit

MIRC celebrated the opening of its new Detroit office with an open house this month. With the new location, MIRC can expand its services to better serve the immigrant communities in metro Detroit. Thank you to our staff, supporters, and partners, who made the event a success!

October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and staff from across our programs recognized this by participating in Purple Thursday. Thank you to our outstanding staff members who wore purple for domestic violence awareness!

MAP is now solar powered!

We are proud to share that our Ypsilanti office is now running on solar power! With a $25,000 grant from Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation, our new solar system will reduce our electric bill by an estimated 35% and allow us to reinvest those savings to fund more essential client services.

MAP's pro bono team provides assistance at family law clinics

Thank you to our amazing pro bono team and volunteers for making our new Family Law Assistance Clinic (FLAC) a success! Beginning in September 2023, our new FLAC clinics provide legal assistance with family law issues for individuals in Washtenaw County each month.

LSSCM Battle Creek conducts community outreach

Last month, Anna and Adam from Legal Services of South Central Michigan's Battle Creek office met with community members about our services at Calhoun County Connect. We're always grateful for the opportunity to do outreach in our communities!

FLS and MIRC collaborate with the Michigan Farmworker Project

FLS and Michigan Immigrant Rights Center met with the University of Michigan School of Public Health Michigan Farmworker Project to discuss challenges facing Michigan farmworkers and plan future collaborations to address them. Learn more about the Michigan Farmworker Project here.

Resources and Events

Please help us spread the word about these upcoming community events and resources!

2023 Washtenaw Family Law Assistance Clinics

Wednesday, November 29, 2023 - 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Join us for free legal advice for low income unrepresented individuals on issues such as divorce, child custody, personal protection orders (PPO), and more.

Clinic is first come first serve until full.

Find more information here

Are you a family law attorney interested in volunteering? Register here

Community News

Mistreatment of Michigan farmworkers: U-M researchers document abuses, push for change

Findings from the University of Michigan School of Public Health Michigan Farmworker Project, a community-based participatory research project conducted in collaboration with Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and FLS, document the range of unsafe and unhealthy workplace and living conditions Michigan farmworkers experience.

MSU College of Law Students Engage with the Legal Community

Toi Dennis, LSSCM and CVLAP Attorney, connected with law students at MSU College of Law's Faces of Justice Mentoring event.

Language access bills a potential “gamechanger”

“No matter what language you speak or where you were born, we all benefit when people with limited English language proficiency can participate fully in public life and are included in many of the important government communications that this would cover,” Christine Sauvé, MIRC Policy and Engagement Coordinator tells WEMU.

Thank you for reading!

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If your organization has relevant happenings you would like us to promote in next month's newsletter, send details to: communications@lsscm.org

MAP includes Legal Services of South Central Michigan with five offices in south and central Michigan serving 13 counties and Farmworker Legal Services serving agricultural workers statewide. MAP also provides administrative services to five statewide specialty programs, known collectively as MSAS. These include the Michigan Poverty Law Program, Michigan Elder Justice Initiative, Crime Victims Legal Assistance Program, Michigan Legal Help Program, and Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. The Legal Services Corporation only supports the activities of the MAP programs, Legal Services of South Central Michigan, and Farmworker Legal Services.