Attorney Mike Freed (left) founder of the Freed to Run fundraiser for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, and Jim Kowalski, president/CEO of the agency, pose in front of the Duval County Courthouse. The 2023 event Nov. 17-18 will fund leg1al services for indigent seniors. Bob Self/Florida Times-Union
Beth Reese Cravey
Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
Berkley White, 82, almost lost his house for nonpayment of property taxes — even though he had been sending money to a loan-servicing company for that purpose.
White, currently in a rehabilitation hospital after a series of health crises, thinks he was taken advantage of because of his age. “I believe so. I’m not exactly a young man,” he said.
With the help of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, the company’s planned sale of his house was halted. White still fears losing his house — his homeowner’s insurance is now requiring a new roof he cannot afford — but is grateful he’s not homeless. He particularly praised Marissa Vetter, a Legal Aid eviction grant manager and housing counselor.
“If not for Marissa, I don’t know where we’d be,” he said.
White is the kind of Legal Aid client that Mike Freed had in mind when he envisioned Shelter for Elders, a new endowment that will fund the agency’s housing-related legal assistance for indigent seniors. Proceeds from the 2023 Freed to Run Friday and Saturday, the latest incarnation of the Jacksonville attorney’s annual fundraiser for Legal Aid founded in 2017, will benefit that initiative.
Read More at Florida Times-Union
About Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid is a nonprofit law firm focused on delivering economic, social, and housing justice to low-income and at-risk individuals and families on the First Coast.
If you are an attorney wanting to volunteer with probate and heirs property issues, contact JALA Pro Bono Director Aaron Irving, at (904) 356-8371, Ext. 363, or Aaron.Irving@jaxlegalaid.org.
