An Open Letter from Donna B. McElroy, Esq.
October is National Celebrate Pro Bono Month. At Shore Legal Access, we depend on the time and effort our volunteer attorneys give to meet the civil legal needs of the communities we serve. In the following open letter, 2023 Honorable Karen M. Jensen Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service and Mentorship winner Donna B. McElroy, Esq. highlights the impact pro bono legal assistance has on households facing civil legal issues and the joy it can bring attorneys who give their time to take pro bono cases.
Donna was honored last October for the many hours she has devoted to serving our clients and mentoring other attorneys. We hope this letter inspires attorneys to give their time and expertise to those who need it most.
Dear Shore Legal Access Community and Volunteers,
This letter of thanks is long overdue. I want to thank all of you for nominating me and presenting me with the 2023 Hon. Karen M. Jensen Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service and Mentorship. There were five recipients honored on October 26, 2023 for work in criminal record expungement, family law , life planning , and housing. Congratulations to all. I also need to thank the Honorable Karen M. Jensen for setting the standard in pro bono and mentorship work.
I picked up a recent edition of People Magazine which had an article on a pastor in East Knoxville, Tennessee, who had retired and was farming and distributing produce to the residents of his community. He referred to East Knoxville as a “food desert” because there were no grocery stores in the area and the residents had no access to fresh produce. The article also noted the following statistics:
44 Million Americans live in food-insecure households
17% of U.S. households have children who face hunger
42 Million Americans rely on food assistance
Since I moved permanently to the Lower Eastern Shore in 2017, I have often thought that our area might be referred to as a “legal desert” for thousands of families who do not have access to affordable legal counsel. MVLS, Shore Legal Access, and self-help centers are a few of the resources available to these residents, but they are not enough, unless these organizations can continue to encourage attorneys to volunteer. The Self-Self Family Law Center in Wicomico County has provided services to as many as 62 clients in the month of November in 2023. And this is only initial help to file paperwork and answer their questions. In most cases these clients are still seeking the assistance of an attorney.
Volunteering will change your life. It is the greatest opportunity to help people who, well, all they can do is say “thanks”. Yes, there are sacrifices and frustrations when you volunteer, but these experiences can also be fun and joyous and, without a doubt, rewarding.
We just celebrated the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On February 11, 1962, Dr. King gave a sermon titled “A Knock at Midnight”. What if someone came to your home in the middle of the night seeking assistance, for whatever reason. You could ignore the knock, answer the door, or call the authorities. But if that person seeking assistance in the middle of the night, is you, your parent, your sister, or your child, what would you want a stranger to do?
So, for 2024, answer the knock and think seriously about accepting a case from Shore Legal Access and other organizations working to provide necessary legal assistance in our communities. Don’t miss out on the opportunity.
Very truly yours,
Donna B. McElroy
If you are an attorney and you want to donate your skills to our mission, visit the “Get Involved” page on our website: https://shorelegal.org/get-involved/attorneys/.
If you want to ensure that people in our communities get the help they need to stay housed and employed, consider supporting our work today through our donation page: https://midshoreprobono-bloom.kindful.com/. As we reach the end of the year, you can also consider donating from your IRA or Donor-Assisted Fund to Shore Legal Access. Contact us if you have any question at 410-690-8128.
(Donna’s letter was lightly edited for clarity)
