Emily worked with her Indy Legal Aid attorney, Andrea Sneden, to declare her guardian of her grandchildren. However, COVID-19 occurred before Emily was able to go to court and so her hearing was postponed. During this time, the Court conducted court sessions online via WebEx, and Emily was expected to be on that online session. For Emily, computers were a foreign language and she was unsure if she could arrange the online session in her own home. To make matters even more stressful, Emily needed guardianship soon as school enrollment was fast approaching.

Thankfully, Andrea was able to set up the online court session in Indy Legal Aid’s office so all Emily had to do was come to our office, which was much more accessible than the courthouse. Emily was able to successfully obtain guardianship quickly for her two grandchildren with the help of Andrea even though it seemed as if the guardianship would be impossible to receive in a timely manner because of COVID-19. Lack of access to technology does not prevent Indy Legal Aid from working and ensuring that clients succeed in their legal issues, just like with Emily.

Indy Legal Aid's Holiday Attorney Campaign kicked off on Giving Tuesday and for the first time since the mid-1990's has gone virtual because of Covid-19.

This year we have enlisted team captains at law firms throughout central Indiana to engage their colleagues, family and friends via email, phone and social media to get out the word about Indy Legal Aid and encourage them to support our work.

The holiday campaign has realized approximately $150,000 every year, however, we are hoping that number will increase as we lost our two major fundraisers this year due to the pandemic.

"We'd like to thank all of the dedicated attorneys who are helping us with the campaign," said John Floreancig, Indy Legal Aid General Counsel and CEO. "The holiday donations we receive are critical in providing services to our clients in 2021."

The Social Innovation grant that we received from United Way will allow us to hire a social worker who will help coordinate the Second Chance Workshops and will act as a liaison to connect clients to additional resources in the community. The Second Chance Workshop helps individuals with getting their driver's licenses reinstated. In Marion County, there are approximately 100,000 Hoosiers with a suspended driver's license. For more than half of these individuals, the suspension is due to unpaid traffic fines.

The CICF Crime Prevention Grant Program funds, made possible through the Indianapolis Foundation, is focused on reducing initial or chronic interaction with the criminal and/or juvenile justice systems and increasing the safety of Indianapolis residents and their neighborhoods by reducing risk factors or increasing protective factors. 

"We are very grateful to CICF and UWCI for funding our efforts in the community," said John Floreancig, Indy Legal Aid General Counsel and CEO. "These grants will give us the opportunity to provide additional services to our clients."

For more information about Clothes With A Cause, check out their website at https://clotheswithacause.net.

For more information, click here.

We have several ways for you to make a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable Hoosiers in Central Indiana. Approximately $.87 of every dollar donated to Indianapolis Legal Aid Society is directly used to provide programs and services. For more information, click here.