The Center for Community Justice

Join the conversation with the CASANYS Book Club as we discuss "The Power of Being Seen" live with author Roger Saillant. Open to CASA volunteers, volunteers in training, CASA staff, families served by CASA, service providers with whom CASA collaborates and community members. Offered via Zoom on Thursday, September 12th | 9:30 to 11am or 6:30 to 8pm and Thursday, September 19th | 6:30 to 8pm. Registration is required. https://bit.ly/45PJUxQ

This Thursday, August 15 at the McChesney Room of the Schenectady Public Library, CCJ is holding a panel discussion called "Re-Entry Experiences".

Please consider joining us in person or online at:

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Join us in person or virtually(click the link below):

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87299117281?pwd=vu7RhH2nyJFFhgU5GDU1nb7SUmaSEe.1

https://www.theccj.org/how_to_help/volunteer.html

https://www.theccj.org/how_to_help/make-a-donation.html

https://www.atproctors.org/event/raise-your-voice-for-casa-kids/

So excited!

Consider joining us this July!

Thank you Stewarts Holiday Match Grant for your generous and continued support.

Stewart's Shops Supports the Local Community Through Ice Cream & Monetary Donations At Stewart's, it is important for us to give back to the community and we are committed to making a positive impact in the categories we consider a priority.

Thanks to The New York Bar Foundation for your continued support and for seeing the value in the Legal Hand Call-In Center Serving Schenectady and Albany Counties.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from The New York Bar Foundation.

Hello,

My name is Phil Merens and I’m writing to ask for you to join me in supporting the Center for Community Justice’s amazing Legal Hand Call-In Center serving Schenectady and Albany Counties by donating to our online campaign.

I’ve worked with CCJ for over a decade and I’ve never asked for help in this way. I’m doing so now because I believe that the Legal Hand Call-In Center will help thousands of people in our area, and represents an exciting new way to deliver civil legal assistance. In 2023 Legal Hand provided 1,345 people with legal information, referrals, and assistance, nearly doubling the 700 we projected serving.

CCJ started Legal Hand to provide barrier-free civil legal help, especially in low income areas. In 2023, just four low income zip codes in Schenectady accounted for 21% of all the people Legal Hand helped. People come to Legal hand because we help and because all-too-often there is no other option.

Legal Hand volunteers and staff help people resolve civil legal issues, like housing, employment, benefits, elder care, family court and domestic violence, before they become crises. Over 75% of the people contacting Legal Hand say we’ve resolved their issue, while another 20% feel that Legal Hand brought them closer to resolution.

For people of low and modest means, civil legal problems can have terrible effects. I know this because there was a time when I faced civil legal issues without hope of adequate help.
Our staff and volunteers have done a great job. Legal Hand is a runaway success. Even though we’ve received support from foundations, faith-based institutions, and others, Legal Hand needs further funding to maintain this great program.

So CCJ, and I, are asking for your help.

I’ve donated to Legal Hand, now I’m asking you to do so as well.

Please Donate to Legal Hand.

Thank you for your help!

Phil Merens

Interested in becoming a Legal Hand volunteer? Contact [email protected]

Support Legal Hand : Help Legal Hand Winter 2023-2024 : The Center for Community Justice The Legal Hand Call-In Center Serving Albany and Schenectady Counties offers free civil legal assistance. All too often, civil legal issues lead to families experiencing an avoidable crisis because they can't access help or information. Legal Hand volunteers provide information and referrals using a...

Schenectady Foundation
Thank you for your generous support to the Hand Call-In Center Serving Schenectady and Albany Counties

We are closed February 12th, 2024 for Lincoln's Birthday. See you on the 13th at 11 am! 🎩

Thank you to the Schenectady Foundation for helping us continue to serve the community in 2023!

The Community Service program had 21 new clients in August and 12 in September.

The Schenectady Nature Bus returns this Saturday, July 22!
This weekend, the FREE CDTA trolley stops at MHLC's Fox Preserve, Mohawk Hudson Bike Path, and The Nature Conservancy's Lisha Kill Natural Area. Don't miss this chance to visit these sites to enjoy FREE programs:

🌻MHLC's Stewardship Coordinator Marshall Lefebvre will lead a guided hike of Fox Preserve at 10:35 AM. (Register using the link below!)

🦊MHLC's Summer Scavenger Hunt is happening this month--search the Fox Preserve for a painted woodland creature cut-out to earn a free ice cream scoop from Stewart's Shop. Learn more at www.mohawkhudson.org/scavenger-hunt.

🌻Steve Jones of ECOS will lead guided walks on the Mohawk Hudson bike path for each bus drop-off. (3 sessions)

🌻Ebony LaBrew will lead two Forest Bathing sessions at Lisha Kill at 10:30 and 2 PM. (Please pre-register using the link below!)

Learn about Nature Bus, find program details/registration, and see the CDTA schedules at www.mohawkhudson.org/nature-bus-schenectady.

💚The 2023 Schenectady Nature Bus was made possible thanks to funding from The Schenectady Foundation, Stewart's Shops and the Incentive Program and support from the Village of Scotia.

Kids & teens can get free, healthy in our area! No sign up needed — just drop by when meals are served. Visit SummerMealsNY.org, call 2-1-1, or text “Food” to 304-304 to find a summer meal site.

Interactive Journaling® is strongly informed by the science of expressive writing, allowing participants to put down their thoughts, feelings and meaningful experiences in a structured, engaging and targeted manner. As in other expressive writing interventions, participants are encouraged to focus on their own thoughts and feelings and to not concern themselves with spelling, grammar or punctuation.

Sexton & Pennebaker (Sexton & Pennebaker, 2009) point out that a broad range of groups have benefited from expressive writing, including college students, prison inmates, medical and psychiatric patients and unemployed populations.

Since 2019, the County Reentry Task Forces across the state of NY have served over 7,500 people coming home from state incarceration.

For those convicted of a crime when they are under the age of 19, New York's Youthful Offender law provides the opportunity for their conviction to be replaced by a confidential, non-criminal adjudication and reduced prison sentence.

A criminal record has lasting effects, including societal bias and limited access to employment - two significant barriers to rehabilitation that dramatically increase the likelihood of recidivism.

Our Executive Director, Cheryl Vallee, was awarded the Liberty Bell Award last month by the Schenectady County Bar Association.
The Liberty Bell Award recognizes a person who lives or works in Schenectady County, who is not a lawyer, but has worked to support the ideals of freedom, the courts and justice.

Thank you Cheryl for all you do!!!

"Senator Breslin has chosen The Legal Hand to receive state government funding in the amount of $25,000 under the Human Services Resolution.

'These funds can be used for programs and initiatives that promote the health, safety, permanency, and well-being of children, families, and our communities'"

Thank you Senator Breslin and staff for the generous support.

Shoutout:
One of our clients who completed their Community Service at Vale cemetery got hired there because he did such a great job!

Raise Your Voice for CASA Kids - Proctors Fundraising singing competition for children ages 13 to 24, for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) who are assigned through Albany and Schenectady Family Court Judges... Read more »

Thank you to the New York Bar Foundation for your generosity!

https://www.tnybf.org/the-new-york-bar-foundation-awards-600000-in-grants-to-legal-services-organization-across-nys/

Check out Schenectady County Job Training Agency's June virtual workshop series 👇