Which Path Will You Choose?: A Message from Board Member Matthew Barr
Matthew Barr
As Title Sponsor of the upcoming Justice For All Gala, we at Barnes and Thornburg LLP invite you to join us in supporting the Clinic's work in this community. The Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic is a team of Hoosiers dedicated to promoting justice through legal representation and legal education for our low-income neighbors as a way of demonstrating Christ’s love. As an Indianapolis attorney, a Christian, and a member of the Clinic Board, I’m accustomed to sharing this lawyer-y sentence with those who ask what the Clinic does. But underneath this mission statement there is a reality of thousands of people served and thousands of lives changed. I see firsthand how the Clinic makes a real impact in our community. As an organization, the Clinic:
· Helps protect clients’ income and provides a fresh financial start, whether there has been a loss of employment, divorce/separation, or unexpected health expenses.
· Offers legal assistance and care to one of our most vulnerable populations: homeless youth.
· Partners with the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation of Indiana (HVAF) to provide legal services to homeless veterans in our community.
· Provides critical legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and violent crime, partnering with agencies like The Julian Center and Families First to secure their safety and long-term wellbeing.
· Helps parents and children to start a new life here in the United States after they flee brutal regimes and abuse in their country of origin.
· Assists refugees and other immigrants who are ready to make the United States their permanent home by filing for their citizenship.
· Works with ex-offenders to remove barriers to successful re-entry and employment by obtaining expungements and specialized driving privileges and by offering assistance with child support issues.
This is just a small sampling of the work the Clinic does. And Barnes and Thornburg is proud to support its mission of improving the lives of our low-income neighbors. In many ways, our community is at a crossroads when it comes to helping our neighbors and friends achieve a basic level of justice. One path leads to increased marginalization of the poor and lost opportunities for parents and children struggling to keep their homes, find jobs, avoid persecution or abuse, or reenter society. Another, brighter path leads to increased access to justice, providing life-changing peace of mind and hope for those in our community who currently have none.
This is the path the Clinic chooses for Hoosiers. And we at Barnes and Thornburg LLP are honored to support these efforts. Will you do the same?
Very truly yours,
Matthew Barr
Please note: Thanks to the support of a loyal group of anonymous Clinic donors, from right now until 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 5, every donation you make to the Clinic will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $35,000!
To donate now, please click here. To attend the Justice For All Gala, please register here.