“TOGETHER WE MUST” CAMPAIGN FOR JUSTICE Hosted “HEART OF GIVING” MARCH 11 AT MARGULIES ART WAREHOUSE TO BENEFIT LEGAL SERVICES OF GREATER MIAMI, INC.
 
HIGHLIGHTED BY DISTINGUISHED GUEST SPEAKERS, CHIEF JUSTICE PEGGY A. QUINCE AND MICHAEL PUTNEY, WLPG-TV CHANNEL 10’S SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER

Legal Services of Greater Miami, the largest provider of broad-based civil legal services for the poor in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, celebrated the success of its “Together, We Must” Campaign for Justice, Thursday, March 11, when the works of internationally famed artists, sculptors, and photographers were available for viewing at the Margulies Art Warehouse 591 N.W, 27th Street.

Tagged “The Heart of Giving” to further supplement the organization’s efforts to ensure that low income individuals and families will have advocates to speak for them and protect their rights, the evening provided guests an oppotunity to view such varied works as the acclaimed Miro & Noguchi: Masters of Surrealist Sculpture, 100 Years of Photography from 1909-2009, and George Segal: Depression Bread Line. Further highlighting the event will be a silent auction of works by internationally famed photographers Joyce Tenneson, Maggie Steber, Barbara Bordnick, Jill Enfield, Rick Smolan, Charles Altschul and Enrique Monasterio as well as works from many of the South Florida community’s fine artists. 

Co-chaired by Gene Stearns, (Stearns Weaver Miller) Bob Parks, (Law Office of Robert L. Parks) and Corali (Cori) Lopez-Castro (Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton), the event was organized in partnership with The Cuban American Bar Association, Miami-Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association, Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Bar Association, and Haitian Lawyers Association. Distinguished guest speakers, Chief Justice Peggy A. Quince, and Michael Putney, WPLG-TV Channel 10’s Senior Political Reporter, addressed the critical need for free legal services for the poor in our present economy as well as acknowledge the South Florida community that has continued to support this urgent cause.

“With mortgage foreclosure rates and unemployment in our nation at an historic high, free legal services have never been needed more. The current economic downturn has hit South Florida especially hard, creating a crisis in our community,” said Marcia Cypen, Executive Director of Legal Services of Greater Miami. “The poorest families and individuals in our community are disproportionately affected, placing them at greater risk of losing jobs, housing, and access to healthcare, and increasing their need for free legal help with the critical legal problems that they face. They are joined by the “new poor”—the former middle class who find themselves suddenly unemployed and facing eviction or foreclosure,” she added.


In response, community leaders have created the “Together, We Must” Campaign for Justice to supplement the organization’s present budget which is primarily from federal, state and local government sources. To learn more, visit www.TogetherWeMust.org.

Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc. is the largest provider of broad-based civil legal services for the poor in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties and is recognized in the state and in the nation as a model legal services program. Its diverse staff provides clients with legal services in three languages from regional offices located in Miami, South Dade, and Key West, and from neighborhood offices. To learn more, visit www.lsgmi.org.