“Help, Educate, Empower” is how Indy Legal Aid’s new social worker, Kelly Hunter, approaches her interactions with individuals and families. “I believe as humans, we have a duty to be of service to our fellow man with a heart of compassion and love,” Kelly commented.
Kelly chose social work as her career path after working with a career coach at The John H. Boner Center who helped her decide between social work, physical therapy, and respiratory therapy. Kelly’s goal was to help as many people as possible and both physical and respiratory therapies had limited populations. In 2014, Kelly obtained her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Indianapolis.
Kelly has worked in various roles at the Marion County Community Corrections (MCCC) and Ivy Tech. After graduating with her BSW, she continued to work with MCCC and began working for a Transitional Living Program through Stopover, Inc. which provides youth shelter and support. It was at this time that Kelly had an unexpected fall at her home which caused her to become an above- the-knee amputee. This immobilizing injury occurred in September 2015 and resulted in her leaving her job with Stopover, Inc. as she could no longer fulfill her duties.
At this time, Kelly began to self-reflect on where she was going in her life. “My faith caused me to draw nearer to God to seek guidance and fulfillment in the next steps and to overcome the bondage of fear that had consumed my life for so many years. God gave me Alabama,” Kelly said. But instead of moving to the State of Alabama, Kelly now works on Alabama Street where Indy Legal Aid is located.
Kelly will be focusing on the Second Chance Workshops, a driver’s license reinstatement program with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, that helps Hoosiers with traffic tickets and the excessive fees imposed by the BMV that follow and the BY Plus Construction Roundtable Jobs Initiative Project. Kelly will also be working with underserved populations to recognize their need for social services outside of their legal issues, while providing an opportunity to minimize or remove barriers that prevent these clients from succeeding.
“We are so fortunate to have Kelly on staff,” said John Floreancig, Indy Legal Aid General Counsel and CEO. “She has a wonderful way of connecting with our clients and having the knowledge to provide information they need to help solve non-legal issues they face.”
