Toledo Area Fundraising Initiatives

America holds close the ideal of equal justice for all, but all too often, justice is out of reach for many of its most vulnerable citizens. Civil legal aid steps in to ensure that this promise is made a reality for the thousands of individuals and families who need representation in the justice system, but could not otherwise afford an attorney. By giving to the Justice for All Campaign, you can make justice a reality for individuals and families in northwest Ohio.

The Justice for All Campaign is a fundraising partnership among

• Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE)
• Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. (LAWO) and
• The Toledo Bar Association (TBA) Pro Bono Legal Services Program.

As the sole providers of free civil legal aid to low-income residents of northwest Ohio, the Justice for All Campaign unites our fundraising efforts to ensure that vulnerable and disenfranchised members of our community have equal access to the legal system.

Each year, thousands of people in our community request legal help from LAWO, TBA Pro Bono, and ABLE. Through gifts from our friends and supporters in the Toledo legal community, we are able to provide life-changing assistance to victims of elder abuse, veterans, survivors of domestic violence, and many families living, working, and raising their children in poverty who struggle to meet their day-to-day needs of housing, food, healthcare, or education for their children. But even though we served so many, there are still more who need our help, and we ask that you support us again this year.

Members of Our Community Need Your Help

Your investment in the Justice for All Campaign gives hope to our clients and creates stability in the community as their legal problems are resolved. Options for supporting the work of ABLE, the TBA Pro Bono Legal Services Program, and LAWO are as varied as the programs and services we offer. Whatever your interest—helping children, preventing homelessness, providing safety, rebuilding neighborhoods, protecting civil rights, providing for veterans—there is opportunity within this campaign.

When you support the Justice for All Campaign, you contribute to equal justice under the law – something we all care about.

For more information, please contact Carmen Vega-Pérez, Regional Director of Development at cvega@ablelaw.org.

Donate today!

2023 Justice for All Campaign

Campaign Co-Chairs
Steven P. Collier, Co-Chair
Collier Mediation, LLC

Susan Hartman Muska, Co-Chair
Law Office of Susan Hartman Muska

Cabinet Committee Members
Emily Desmond
ABLE

Heather Hall
ABLE

Maggie Humphrey
TBA

Bradley J. Lagusch
TBA

Andrew Miller
Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP

Kevin C. Mulder
LAWO

Gina Scherzer
TBA

Carmen Vega-Pérez
ABLE

Campaign Ambassadors
Cheryl Mendenhall
Allotta & Farley Co., LPA

Robert M. Anspach
Anspach Law

Margaret G. Beck
Brady, Coyle & Schmidt, Ltd.

Janelle Matuszak
Bugbee & Conkle, LLP

James E. Yavorcik
Cubbon & Associates Co., LPA

Adam S. Nightingale
Eastman & Smith Ltd.-Toledo

Jeffrey W. Swiech
Gallon, Takacs & Boissoneault Co., LPA

Christopher F. Parker
Goranson, Parker & Bella Co., LPA

Bruce S. Schoenberger
Gressley, Kaplan & Parker

Jay Feldstein
Liebenthal Levine, Ltd.

Gregory W. Robinette
MacMillan, Sobanski & Todd, LLC

Richard R. Malone
Malone, Ault & Farell

William J. Bingle
Maloney, McHugh & Kolodgy, Ltd.

Meghan Anderson Roth
Marshall & Melhorn, LLC

Karl Strauss
Owens Corning

Meredith S. Decker
ProMedica

Randall Engwert
Reminger Co., LPA

Peter N. Lavalette
RCO Law

Matthew J. Rohrbacher
Rohrbacher Cron Manahan Trimble & Zimmerman Co., LPA

Jack Kelly
Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP

Robert S. Salem
University of Toledo College of Law

2023 Access to Justice Awards Dinner

Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE), Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. (LAWO), and the Toledo Bar Association Pro Bono Legal Services Program (TBA) were proud to host the annual Access to Justice Awards Dinner on Thursday, May 25, 2023, at the Pinnacle in Maumee. Nearly 300 guests gathered to support crucial legal aid services and programs in northwest Ohio.

Guests were inspired by keynote speaker Mónica Ramírez, an attorney, author, and activist fighting for the rights of farmworkers, migrant women workers, and the Latinx community.

We presented awards to three individuals for their extraordinary service to people living in poverty in our region.

Eugenio Mollo, Jr. received the Public Interest Law Award for his dedication to advocating for immigrants, including his role as a Clinical Assistant Professor at The University of Toledo College of Law, where he launched the Immigrant Justice Clinic.

Ramón Pérez received the Community Advocacy Award for his lifelong commitment to connecting and empowering members of the Latinx community to advocate for the resources and services they need and deserve.

The Honorable Myron C. Duhart received the Distinguished Service Award for his longstanding, often quiet encouragement and support of the fight for equal justice.

Special thanks to Roman Arce and Mark Barnes for co-chairing the 2023 Access to Justice Awards Dinner and Ceremony, and many thanks to our sponsors, staff, and volunteers for making the event a success.