Capri and siblings
By Emma Castleberry
The nonprofit legal aid group Pisgah Legal Services presents An Evening for Kids Deserve Justice at the Salvage Station on Wednesday, May 31, from 4:30–7 p.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Children’s Law Program, which helps disadvantaged children in WNC avoid homelessness, escape abuse and maltreatment, and access essential services like medical care, childcare and education. “Poverty impacts children very deeply,” says Evie White, communications director for Pisgah Legal. “Facing situations like being forced to move because of an eviction or witnessing domestic violence can have a lifelong, adverse effect on children. Legal intervention can stop an immediate crisis and improve a child’s long-term future.”
Of the 21,696 people helped by Pisgah Legal Services last year, more than 6,500 of them were children. One client, Capri, was just 20 years old when her mother passed away and she needed help navigating the legal system to adopt her five-year-old twin siblings. “Pisgah Legal was such a big help,” she says. “I didn’t have to try to figure out how to pay for a lawyer, search for the right one or figure out which one is best. It makes me feel good knowing that I have full legal guardianship of them. That’s never going to change. It’s a relief to be able to do all the things they need without anything hindering that.”
The all-ages event will feature live music, food and drinks, as well as a silent auction with all proceeds benefiting the Children’s Law Program. Tickets are $25 per person in advance, $30 at the door. Entry is free for children aged 12 and under. “Children benefit from the same free legal services Pisgah Legal provides to keep them safe and allow them to survive and thrive,” say Ally Wilson, chief development officer for Pisgah Legal Services. “Community support makes this important work possible. Supporting this event and Pisgah Legal’s Children’s Law Program means that children and families have access to justice, no matter their income.”
The Salvage Station is located at 468 Riverside Drive, Asheville. Buy tickets and learn more at PisgahLegal.org/kids.
