Champions of Justice Reception

For Immediate Release Contact: Patience Milrod (559) 570-1214
August 22, 2018 or Ms. Luisa Medina at (559) 570-1242

CCLS Announces Champions of Justice Award Honorees

Central California Legal Services (CCLS) is pleased to announce the 2018 Champions of Justice honorees. The public is invited to join CCLS at their gala Reception to recognize three Champions who demonstrate an exceptional devotion to justice. The celebration takes place on Thursday evening, October 4, 2018 from 5pm — 8pm at The Grand on Ten at 1401 Fulton Street, 10th Floor, in downtown Fresno.

The Center for Peacemaking at Fresno Pacific University receives the Ronald M. George Equal Justice Award, the highest award given by CCLS to honor an individual, organization or project. Since opening in 1990, the Center has played a pivotal role in developing and implementing restorative justice principles, processes and practices with key community institutions. Because of the Center’s efforts, Fresno is a recognized leader across the country in innovative restorative justice initiatives within communities, schools and the criminal justice system.

Under the leadership of its new director, Sheri Weidenhofer the Center is significantly widening its reach, extending its peace building initiatives into the Juvenile Courts, schools, prisons, and re-entry programs, helping youth and adults to find their way back into the community.

CCLS will also honor two exceptional community leaders, Ana de Alba and Lety Valencia, with Special Recognition Awards, acknowledging their extraordinary contributions to equity in our Central Valley.

Fresno attorney, Ana de Alba, a longtime supporter of social justice issues, brings her energy, passion and considerable skill to representing working women–often farmworkers–experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. Ana has energetically championed a pro bono culture in our local bar, encouraging private law firms to provide no-cost representation to the underserved, and helping to create the Central Valley Pro Bono Challenge, as well as a volunteer-powered Worker’s Rights Clinic and a quarterly legal clinic helping seniors with simple wills. She currently chairs the FCBA Pro Bono Services Section and is a former CCLS board member. Ana easily gives more than 250 hours of pro bono services per year, in addition to being an equity partner in the law firm of Lang, Richert & Patch, and mother to her 7-year old daughter, Sofia.

Also receiving Special Recognition honors is Lety Valencia, community organizer with Faith in the Valley-Fresno, a multi-faith, multi-racial coalition of over 20 congregations working with our most vulnerable communities for critical policy and systems change. Lety’s leadership was a major contributing factor in the passage and implementation of Fresno’s first-ever proactive rental housing inspection program, the Rental Housing Improvement Act (RHIA). A talented community organizer, she inspired a wide range of stakeholders to demand solutions for one of Fresno most complex and entrenched systemic problems — unsafe and unhealthy housing conditions. Now, for the first time in the City’s history, inspectors are conducting “baseline” health and safety inspections in all rental units. Initial reports from the baseline inspections so far have found significant and urgent health and safety violations. When fully implemented, the ordinance will raise the quality of life and safety for thousands of low-income families, while protecting tenants from retaliation for speaking out about code violations.

You do not want to miss this exceptional event! Additional information including sponsorship and advertising opportunities and tickets are available at their website www.centralcallegal.org and click on the Champions of Justice tab or you may contact Ms. Luisa Medina at (559) 570-1242 or luisa@centralcallegal.org.

Note to editor: Central California Legal Services (CCLS) is a private, not for profit, public interest law firm established to provide free civil legal assistance to low-income individuals, families, organizations, and communities. CCLS furthers these goals by providing education and representation to the disadvantaged while increasing client communities’ access to the legal system.

With offices located in the cities of Fresno, Merced and Visalia, the program serves eligible individuals in the counties of Fresno, Tulare, Kings, Merced, Tuolumne and Mariposa. Through its long-standing partnership with the statewide Health Consumer Alliance, CCLS expanded health access services to the counties of Madera, San Luis Obispo, Stanislaus, Monterey and San Benito. Individuals in need of services may call our Legal Advice and Referral Line at (800) 675-8001.