March Madness Begins…

Whether or not you are a fan of college basketball and the way it takes over television networks and water cooler conversations this time of year, please join me in recognizing our own local spin on March Madness, courtesy of an annual fundraiser for civil legal services.

March 31 ends the fiscal year for the 2016 Campaign for Justice – and this year (like many) it is a mad scramble to the finish line. With days ticking by, the numbers are inching slowly toward the $280,000 goal – but they aren’t there yet.

On March 9 the, the gap from goal was $16,965 (or 94% complete); the next day the numbers shifted $600 to the good putting the balance at $16,365, putting us just over 95% of goal. Hooray!! But, if the pace doesn’t pick up for the last three weeks of March, this is going to be a nail-biter.

CFJ Co-chair Andrew Brown stated: “We are extremely grateful to all those who have already contributed and now make a special plea to others to help us close the gap in the coming days.”

The Justice Society Donor Reception is already scheduled for March 23 5:30- 7:30 at the Memorial Art Gallery for individual donors who contributed $350 or more to this year’s campaign. The social gathering includes remarks by U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth Wolford.

Looking back to last year’s CFJ Donor Reception, it appears the Campaign had $283,935 in pledges. However, 12 months later, there is still a $10,000 gap in the 2015 paid pledges to pledge commitments. So let this be an appeal to pledge fulfillment for BOTH campaigns.

The Justice Society was created to honor individuals at and above a certain dollar-level. For this year’s campaign individual donors comprised 40% of the contributions and 15 vendors also pledged at least $350 to this year’s Campaign.

Written by Nora A. Jones