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Law Services News - March/April, 2004

Message from Jeffrey Seigel, Executive Director

Message from Jeffrey Seigel, Executive Director

(Excerpted from March 23, 2004 Open House Remarks celebrating dedication of new community room in Hempstead)

Thank you to all our friends, supporters, board members and advisory council members who join with us today to celebrate the official opening of our community meetting room. I especially want to thank our distinguished guests - our county executive, the Hon. Tom Suozzi, and the following distinguished members of the judiciary: the Hon. Dorothy Eisenberg, Hon. Denise Sher, Hon. Ruth Balkin, Hon. Susan Kluewer. We welcome also the Commissioner of Nass Co. Senior Citizens Affairs, Sharon Mullon, Louise Skolnick, Deputy Commissioner Nass.Co. DSS, TomLevin, Esq., President of the NYS Bar Association.

What you see before you is the culmination of a year’s worth of planning and renovations which began at the end of 2002 with the renewal of our lease with Helen Keller Associates for the Blind. This began with the wonderful work of our pro bono architect, Bill Chalef, and the hiring of John Corley of Kromer-Corley as general contractor. All of this of course was overseen by our point person on the project - Patricia Ironside, our office administrator, who has done a remarkable job controlling the chaos which occurs when you renovate and build as you continue to provide services to the many individuals who come to our office each month.

It’s been 38 years since Nassau County Law Services Committee opened its doors in a small upstairs office in a building here in Hempstead Village with a staff of less than ten. The Committee was conceived by a group of government officials and community leaders, led by then Nassau County Attorney and now the Hon. Jack Weinstein. We now have more than 50 staff and volunteers on 2 floors here in Hempstead and nearly 100 staff and volunteers at our locations in both counties. As we have grown, so has the number of people we serve. Today, we provide support to many thousands of men, women, and children annually - preventing evictions from their homes, protecting against domestic abuse, accessing health care and successfully representing clients whose basic survival needs are not otherwise being met, who may be discriminated against because of a disability, and who often struggle to get through the day.

Over the years, we have strived despite the vagaries of public funding to build facilities which enable our staff to succeed at their challenging mission - to represent our clients to the best of their abilities and with the respect owed to every member of our society. This meeting room is an example of those efforts and we are pleased to be able to share it with the community. But we must remember, it is only a room, it is what takes place here within these walls that we should be celebrating today.

BE A FRIEND! Inside This Issue Message from Jeffrey Seigel, Executive Director Law Services Wins a $31,000 Overpayment Waiver for Elderly Client Class Action Filed: Get Homeless Kids to School! Automatic Food Stamps for SSI Live-Alone Recipients New Regulations Mean Big Changes for Your Clients on Public Assistance New Plan to Fight Homelessness 2003 Donors. Many Thanks to Our Friends! Beware All SSI Recipients With Saving Bonds We Can't Thank You Enough Good News - Charity Care is Available at all Long Island Hospitals Volunteer Attorneys Recognized for Their Work SPRING 2004 TRAINING SCHEDULE