Spotlight on: Pisgah Legal Services

Justin was born with cerebral palsy. PLS has helped secure supportive services so that he can work 20 hours per week and continue living at home rather than moving to a group home.
For Pisgah Legal Services’ clients, justice is not an abstract ideal. It is food, shelter and protection. PLS is a nonprofit law firm providing free civil-legal aid to low-income people in our area to help them meet their most basic needs. For more than 30 years, PLS has helped people in crisis with issues such as housing, domestic violence and access to health care. With 36 staff and more than 250 volunteer attorneys, PLS closes more than 3,000 cases each year for disadvantaged children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, immigrants, the working poor and victims of abuse.
PLS is one of the most far-reaching nonprofits in WNC, helping more than 9,000 people annually and tackling a wide range of poverty-related problems. PLS not only provides legal aid to individuals, but also fights for policy changes affecting issues like homelessness, mental-health-care reform and domestic violence.
PLS Executive Director Jim Barrett states, “No one should be denied justice because they can’t afford a lawyer—especially when your health, home or child’s safety is at stake. For PLS clients, only an attorney can solve their problems, and Pisgah Legal Services is their only resource for free legal aid.”
Info: (800) 489-6144 or http://www.pisgahlegal.org.
Weekly Picks
Events are FREE unless otherwise noted.
Head to the Asheville Community Theatre Wednesday, May 7, at 5:30 p.m. for the season preview party on the Mainstage. There will be wine, cheese and a snippet of each of the six shows in the upcoming season. Info: 254-1320.
Learn about Southern Appalachian bonsai with N.C. Arboretum Bonsai Curator Arthur Joura Thursday, May 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Asheville Art Museum. Free to museum members and guests with museum admission. Info: 253-3227.
Start your weekend off by catching a screening of The Gods Must be Crazy at the outdoor Walk-In Theater Friday, May 9, starting at dusk. Films are screened in the parking lot behind the Bledsoe Building in West Asheville. Bring a chair or blanket, and leave pets and coolers at home.
Meander around Waynesville's Historic Frog Level District Saturday, May 10, during the Whole Bloomin' Thing Festival. Local growers, arts and crafts, wellness educators and providers, green products and services and more will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Info: 452-3545.
Celebrate Mother's Day by taking your mom to the Folk Art Center's 10th annual fashion show Sunday, May 11. Artists have taken this year's theme, "Garden Party: The Show of Wearable Art," and woven jackets and wraps, felted handbags, painted scarves and much more. There will be showings at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Info: 298-7928 or www.craftguild.org.
Hear truths and myths about the number one killer in the U.S., heart disease, at Earth Fare South Monday, May 12, at 6:30 p.m. Proper supplementation to prevent a heart attack will be covered in detail. Call 210-0100 to sign up.
Show-quality dahlia tubers and chrysanthemum rooted cuttings will be available at the combined Dahlia Tuber Sale and Chrysanthemum Plant Sale Tuesday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the N.C. Arboretum. Info: 665-2492.
Other Group Spotlights:
2-1-1 referral specialists | 04/19/2007
AARP Tax-Aide | 02/13/2008
Arts For Life | 03/14/2007
Asheville Area Arts Council | 11/28/2007
Asheville Chess Club | 01/09/2008
Asheville Civitan Club | 02/06/2008
Asheville New Friends | 01/23/2008
Asheville Storytelling Circle | 10/31/2007
Asheville-Buncombe Education Coalition | 10/17/2007
AYUSA | 12/26/2007
Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC | 05/16/2007
Brother Wolf Canine Rescue | 01/16/2008
CarePartners Adult Day Services | 08/29/2007
CarePartners Hospice and Palliative Care Services | 06/06/2007
Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy | 07/25/2007
Child Abuse Prevention Services, Inc. | 06/12/2007
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of WNC (CCCS) | 05/30/2007
Council on Aging of Buncombe County | 09/12/2007
Differently Abled News Network, Inc. | 02/21/2007
Dogwood Alliance | 03/19/2008
ECO Water Quality | 07/05/2007
Family Visitation Center | 09/05/2007
Helios Veterans Complementary Health Care Program | 02/27/2008
Helpmate | 04/04/2007
Individuals Reforming Ideas to Secure Equality | 03/07/2007
Kiwanis Club of Asheville | 01/02/2008
Loving Food Resources | 07/18/2007
Managua, Nicaragua, Health and Education Center | 03/26/2008
Meals On Wheels of Asheville and Buncombe County | 07/31/2007
Mountin’ Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center | 06/20/2007
National Down Syndrome Society | 10/10/2007
North Carolina Creative Autistic Living and Learning, Inc. | 07/11/2007
Old Buncombe County Genealogy Society | 10/03/2007
Open Hearts Art Center | 02/20/2008
Panic Fans for Food | 12/12/2007
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute | 11/14/2007
Pisgah Legal Services | 05/08/2008
Reuter Center Singers | 01/30/2008
River Link | 04/16/2008
Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation | 10/24/2007
Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association | 12/05/2007
The Asheville Affiliates | 04/23/2008
The Asheville Lightning Junior Olympics Team | 04/02/2008
The Asheville Puppetry Alliance | 11/07/2007
The Asheville-Mountain Area Chapter of the American Red Cross | 06/27/2007
The Association of Retarded Citizens of Buncombe County | 08/15/2007
The Bountiful Cities Project | 05/02/2008
The Lead Poisoning Prevention Program | 04/11/2007
The Lewis Rathbun Center | 03/21/2007
The Literacy Council of Buncombe County | 05/23/2007
The Mediation Center | 05/09/2007
The Men’s Garden Club of Asheville | 03/12/2008
The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program | 02/28/2007
Three Streams Family Health Center | 03/28/2007
Together We Read | 03/05/2008
Transylvania Community Arts Council | 08/22/2007
Under One Sky | 09/26/2007
United Way / Mountain Housing Opportunities | 08/08/2007
Western North Carolina AIDS Project | 11/21/2007
Western North Carolina Knitters and Crocheters for Others | 09/19/2007


