The Abell-Hanger Foundation recently awarded Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (“Legal Aid”) a dollar-for-dollar challenge grant for its Midland office.

To meet the challenge, Legal Aid had to raise $14,000 from private sources in Midland County. With tremendous support from attorneys and the business community in Midland, we did it!

Todd Stephens, Managing Attorney of Legal Aid’s Midland Office, said “We are grateful for the continued support of our neighbors in helping us meet this challenge. The Abell-Hanger Foundation’s grant, the support of The Helen Greathouse Charitable Trust, and the support of the community will help us add a staff attorney to assist eligible families with economic cases.”

Legal Aid has provided free civil legal aid to eligible low-income families in Midland since 1981. With this funding, the Midland Office can help save families in their six-county service area from illegal eviction and foreclosure, and help secure critical unemployment insurance, disability benefits, and health care.

Thanks go to the following for their generous support that allowed Legal Aid to meet this challenge: J. Kip Boyd; Robert J. Cowen; Hon. Willie B. Du Bose; Kaye Knox Feist; Jay H. “Timber” Floyd, Jr.; The Helen Greathouse Charitable Trust; Ellen M. House; Lynch Chappell & Alsup PC; Chris McCormack; Midland County Bar Association; Thomas S. Morgan; Mary Ann Oakley; Tom Parker; W.F. Pennebaker; Rodney Wayne Satterwhite; Charles Tighe; W. Burgess Wade; Robert K. Whitt; and Michael J. Willson.

We have until August 31st to meet a similar challenge in Ector County to help families served by our Odessa office. Wish us luck!

(Article by Wendy Castellana, Attorney & Development Officer in Legal Aid’s Dallas Office.)