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Spotlight on: Pisgah Legal Services

PLS client Justin Cornett and his mother Talanda Jones.

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.