Think "LAS" in Your Holiday Giving
A holiday appeal letter from LAS' Executive Director
Dear Subscribers,
I hope that this letter finds you well and enjoying the preparations
for a festive holiday season. The year end is generally a time of
reflection and evaluation of the past, present and future. We look back
on the clients we have served and towards developing service areas and
ways to draw attention to the plight of so many struggling seniors in
the Bay Area.
This year we are pleased that we have helped
- 417 people with health care issues
- 214 victims of elder abuse, working directly with APS to provide an immediate safety net
- 160 relatives raising 221 minor children
- 90 people with benefits and income issues
- 96 seniors with immigration issues
- 142 seniors with consumer related issues.
Additionally, the Alameda County Health Insurance Counseling and
Advocacy Program (HICAP) volunteers counseled 1,190 people with
Medicare concerns. HICAP Staff and volunteers provided 128 community
education presentations throughout the county, reaching over 3,000
individuals.
For over thirty years, since our founding in 1976, our mission has
essentially remained the same—to promote the independence and dignity
of seniors. In working with the community, we have become part of an
efficient system that saves the legal community and the courts time and
energy.
And while new projects such as the elder abuse conference can have a
positive statewide impact, the services we provide to individual
seniors are the driving force behind our mission. Empowering someone to
live safely and comfortably within their home; ensuring that children
remain in the arms of a grandparent or great aunt who loves them and
can make legal decisions regarding their care; assisting older
immigrants realize their dream of citizenship; preventing or stopping
an abusive situation; and giving people a voice in the world of
Medicare and public benefits—these are the gifts we provide to Alameda
County seniors.
Please consider a year-end
donation to Legal Assistance for Seniors and give the gift of
continued independence, dignity and safety for Alameda County
seniors.
Warmest wishes for a joyful holiday season,
Michele Drier
Executive Director
