Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA) recently established an endowment that will provide funding to help protect and enhance civil legal aid services for children with medical issues.
Started with funding generated during attorney Michael Freed’s “Freed to Run” effort, JALA aims to raise $1 million over the next five years to fund the endowment. As part of the Securing Tomorrow Together Campaign that ended on 12/31/17, Baptist Health is matching JALA’s $1 million with an additional $1.25 million, bringing the endowment total to $2.25 million and more than doubling the impact.
The funding will be used to continue JALA’s work through the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership (NFMLP). JALA partners with Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, UF Health Specialty Pediatric Clinics and Community PedsCare to screen for and address health-harming civil legal aid needs in the pediatric patient population. The NFMLP serves more than 200 children per year, solving legal issues that impact their health care.
“We provide the final piece of the medical triage. Working with the excellent physicians and staff at Nemours, Wolfson Children’s and our other partners, JALA staff attorneys focus on solving the core issues often underlying a child’s pediatric concerns,” said Jim Kowalski, President & CEO of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. “By establishing an endowment with the Baptist Health Foundation, we ensure the NFMLP can assist our area’s children for generations to come.”
The endowment principal will be held in perpetuity, while earnings from the invested assets help pay for legal services offered to children with medicolegal needs. These services include access to health insurance and other public benefits, advocacy in family law, consumer protections, immigration, and ensuring safe and affordable housing.
Fundraising efforts are underway. If you are interested in providing a contribution, you may donate online at www.JaxLegalAid.org/Endowment; or mail your donation to: Endowment, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, 126 W. Adams Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202.
About Jacksonville Area Legal Aid:
The mission of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc. is to obtain and provide high quality legal assistance to low income and other special need groups and to stimulate and empower groups of poor people to accomplish energetic and affirmative advocacy, all to alleviate the circumstances, incidents and causes of poverty. Donate at www.JaxLegalAid.org.
About Baptist Health Foundation
Northeast Florida’s largest nonprofit healthcare provider, Baptist Health is home to the area’s most preferred hospitals. Charitable gifts to Baptist Health lead to transformational change and enable us to provide the best possible care to our community. Learn more at www.BaptistJax.com/give.
Contact:
Nancy Kinnally
Public Relations Consultant, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
Nancy.Kinnally@JaxLegalAid.org
(407) 375-2264
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