die stimme de stem la voce avoz la voix la voz Fall 2006 N EWS FROM L EGAL A ID J USTICE C ENTER theVoice ROCK HOUSE RESTORED! When the Legal Aid Justice Center purchased the property at 1000 Preston Avenue to house our Charlottesville office, it was faced with a critical decision. Beside the main build- ing on the property sat a deteriorating old house made of stone. The roof of the house was leaking, the paint was peeling, and the floorboards were rotting. “Initial estimates to restore the property were nearly $500,000,” said Executive Director Alex Gulotta. “Many people said, ‘The house is a liability—tear it down.’” The demolition of the house seemed inevitable. Fortunately, a small group of dedicated volunteers formed to research the history of the house to determine its value. The newly formed Rock House Steering Committee, including Daniel Bluestone, director of the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Virginia, uncovered the truth. This house was no liability— it was a significant part of Charlottesville history. The Rock House was built by Charles B. Holt, who engraved Julian Bond delivers the reception address for the C.B. Holt Rock House. his name in its concrete steps in 1926—the founding year of Jefferson High School and Washington Park—to commemo- Committee celebrated the restoration of the C.B. Holt Rock rate the completion of his house. Holt, a carpenter and House at a ceremony attended by more than 200 commu- umbrella repairman, was an African American son of a slave. nity members. Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP and He was born in 1872, less than a decade after emancipation University of Virginia professor of history, gave the and a few years before the enactment of the Jim Crow laws dedication address honoring the C.B. Holt Rock House. that disenfranchised blacks and segregated the South. The day was remarkable. View the full text of Julian Bond’s Building the house required vision, sacrifice, and hard speech at www.justice4all.org. work—a remarkable personal achievement. “I believe the spirit of Charles Holt was here to help us pull Today the Rock House stands restored. On April 18, the this together,” said Rock House Committee member Legal Aid Justice Center and the Rock House Steering Margaret Dunn. Continued on page 3 1 Rock House Restored ... 2 What’s New with JustChildren ... 4 Legal Aid Launches Impact Initiative ... 4 Petersburg Landlord Reimburses Excessive Charges ... 5 New Initiatives Enhance Effectiveness ... 6 2005 Annual Campaign Donors ... 8 More than 500 Attend Elder Law Events ... 9 Carrington Gardens Lawsuit Settles for $240,000 ... 9 Kathleen Caldwell Joins Civil Advocacy ... 10 Virginia Justice Center’s 2005 Accomplishments ... 11 Three Fellows Add More Talent to LAJC theVoice Board of Directors MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR Eva Anthony Herbert L. Beskin We have had a fantastic start to 2006! The generosity of the Lawrence Diehl community and our donors is allowing us to help even more Llezelle A. Dugger of Virginia’s most vulnerable families. Our Charlottesville Peter Eliades office is bursting at the seams as we continue to add new Kimberly C. Emery staff and exciting programs. We recently rehired Kathleen Bryan A. Fratkin Caldwell for our Civil Advocacy Program, and three new law Linda Freeman fellows will be joining us this fall. D. Brock Green Tracey Hopper The renovation of the C.B. Holt Rock House was completed Joy Johnson this April. The Rock House is the new home of a pro bono George B. McCallum III partnership between the law firm of Hunton & Williams and Albert Mumphry the University of Virginia School of Law. The April 18th dedi- John M. Oakey, Jr. Alex Gulotta cation of the Rock House featured a speech by Julian Bond. Frazier Solsberry Executive Director What an honor! It was a wonderful event. Thomas Stark IV Lynn Wiber Thanks to all of you for continuing to make the Legal Aid Justice Center a success! Elizabeth H. Woodard WHAT’S NEW WITH JUSTCHILDREN? Advisory Council Scoring legislative victories, advocating for our work is helping client communities Ed Bain, Jr. clients, adding staff—it’s been a busy year become more vocal, effective advocates for Herbert L. Beskin for JustChildren. We continue to explore a their children. At the last two meetings of the Elizabeth Birdsall Tammy Boudreau variety of strategies to expand opportunities State Board of the Department of Juvenile Kathleen Caldwell for Virginia’s most vulnerable children, rang- Justice, for example, parents testified about John Conover ing from vigorously protecting the rights of the troubling conditions at the girls’ correc- Rebecca Craig individual children, to leading coalitions of tional center at Bon Air, prompting the Board Susan Curry advocates pressing for change in the to investigate and call for improvements. And Mary Ann Elwood General Assembly. Recent successes include in June, we brought Central Virginia parents to a national meeting on school reform Kimberly C. Emery Education Reform: Last summer we estab- D. Brock Green where they met and learned from community lished a statewide grassroots initiative, the Alex R. Gulotta activists from around the country. Alliance for Virginia’s Students (www.vastu- Shannon Horton dents.org). With the support of our partners, New Funding: This spring the Legal Services Janis Jaquith the Alliance recently scored two meaningful Corporation of Virginia awarded us a special Edward Lowry successes. Thanks largely to our advocacy, the grant to become the statewide support cen- Dianne Martin General Assembly included in its budget the ter for education law and advocacy. With Marian Matthews first per-pupil funding increase, totaling $6.6 the new grant, we will provide training and Virginia Needham Rick Richmond million, for the Commonwealth’s preschool technical assistance to legal aid lawyers Sonjia Smith program for at-risk four-year-olds. And we across the Commonwealth, co-counsel on Frazier Solsberry prompted the Virginia Board of Education to significant cases, and maintain an ongoing Karen Torgersen establish improved graduation rates as a pri- presence with the Board of Education and Cole Wilson ority under the Standards of Accreditation. the General Assembly. Because of this and other new funding, JustChildren will grow to Elizabeth H. Woodard Community Partnerships: A critical aspect of 10 staff members by fall. 2 theVoice Continued from page 1 This spring, the Rock House was officially listed on the Virginia Landmarks Registry and National Register of THE C.B. HOLT “ROCK HOUSE” RENOVATION Historic Places. It will be the new home to a pro bono part- AND GARDEN MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS nership between U.Va.’s School of Law and the Richmond law firm of Hunton & Williams. The project, pairing volun- Lead Gifts teer law students and pro bono attorneys from the law Dave Matthews Band, Bama Works Fund of the firm, will offer free legal representation to victims of domes- Charlottesville Area Community Foundation tic violence with custody, visitation, and child support cases Carter Beauford, Coran Capshaw, Stefan Lessard, as well as to immigrants seeking political asylum. This part- David Matthews, Leroi Moore, Boyd Tinsley nership substantially increases the free legal services avail- Perry Foundation able to low-income residents in the Charlottesville area. City of Charlottesville John and Renee Grisham Community pride elevated the Rock House from liability to Hunton & Williams national treasure. Generous donors in our community, Mary Ann Elwood including the Dave Matthews Band, the Perry Foundation, the City of Charlottesville, John and Renee Grisham, Hunton $5,000–$9,999 & Williams, Mary Ann Elwood, and others, made the reno- Carter and Karen Beauford vation of the Rock House possible. But the vision of what Virginia National Bank the Rock House can be is only just beginning. Area members of the Virginia Council of Garden Clubs $2,500–$4,999 have volunteered to plan a garden and historic path for Albemarle Garden Club the Rock House property. This project will give the public Carl and Rebecca Frischkorn an opportunity to walk the grounds of the Rock House and learn about the history of those who lived in it. $1,000–$2,499 In the spring of 2007, we will dedicate the Rock House Area Members of the Virginia McGuire Woods, LLP Council of Garden Clubs Mental Health Services Fund Garden. At this event we will unveil permanent recognition Andy and Kelli Block of the Charlottesville Area of the generous donors to our Rock House Renovation and Mortimer Caplin Community Foundation Garden Project: Giving levels will be recognized at the Charlottesville Garden Club Reuben and Sue Rainey $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000 levels. John Conover and Virginia Richmond & Fishburne Daugherty Rivanna Garden Club For more information on the C.B. Holt Rock House or to con- Alan and Llezelle Dugger Ashlin Smith tribute to its renovation and garden, contact Susan Curry at Kimberly Emery Sonjia Smith 434-977-0553, ext. 101, or [email protected]. Alex and Joan Gulotta Betsy Woodard In-Kind Alexander-Nicholson John Hanger Doug Campbell Jeff Barratt Woodworking C-ville Weekly Mona Lisa Pasta Daniel Bluestone O’Connor Hardwood Floor Co. Digital Print Solutions Richmond Camera Hale & White, Inc. Silk Purse Properties, LLC William Hale Studio Art Shop Jim Hall Webber Painting, Inc. Douglas Haney More than 200 community members celebrated the completion of the Rock House renovation. 3 theVoice LEGAL AID JUSTICE CENTER PETERSBURG LANDLORD LAUNCHES IMPACT INITIATIVE REIMBURSES 15 The Legal Aid Justice Center and its pred- We have already received TENANTS FOR ecessor, the Charlottesville-Albemarle $118,000 per year in commit- Legal Aid Society, have asserted the right ments toward the goal of EXCESSIVE CHARGES of low-income individuals throughout $200,000 per year in LAJC Petersburg and Richmond recently set- Central Virginia to access justice for all for committed funding for the tled a case for numerous clients in several nearly 40 years.