FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2007
Contact: Kim Diehl, Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade
Email: kim@womensfundmiami.org
Tel: (305) 441-0506; Cell: (786) 554-8650

LEGAL PROFESSIONALS RAISED THE BAR TO HELP WOMEN IN NEED
Outside the courtroom, Miami-Dade’s finest lawyers joined together to raise money for women’s legal assistance

Miami— On Thursday June 7, 300 legal professionals from over 20 of Miami’s most prestigious law firms sipped Peroni beer and Bacardi cocktails and raised over $40,000 for Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade grantmaking. Among the sponsoring law firms were White & Case, Greenberg Traurig, Hunton & Williams, Akerman Senterfitt and Holland & Knight. Click here to see a full list of sponsors.

The proceeds from this event will be given as Women’s Fund grants in 2008 to projects that address the legal and advocacy needs of underserved women and girls in our community. These grants will remove barriers faced by women in accessing basic services and provide legal aid to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.

Last year’s RAISE THE BAR was an overwhelming success, which allowed Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade to make grants totaling $25,000 to:

• Legal Services of Greater Miami to identify and resolve legal problems for women in pre-release at the Homestead Correctional Institute to increase their chances of successfully reintegrating into society and attaining self-sufficiency upon their release;

• Sahara to develop the leadership skills of Asian women who will then provide culturally-relevant assistance, information and support to their peers who experience domestic violence and

• Catholic Legal Services to dedicate one staff attorney to the representation of immigrant women and girls, most of whom are victims of violence and cannot otherwise afford legal representation.

Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade grant-making program began in 1993. Since then, the organization has supported more than 225 unique projects and organizations and has nurtured some of the most innovative gender-specific programs in Miami-Dade County. Women’s Fund encourages women to realize the power of their personal philanthropy to create social change.
 

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