The 2021 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Awards will be held virtually on March 23, 2021 from 6:00 PM-7:30 PM.

As many of you know, after initially postponing our 2020 Award Ceremony last spring, we had hoped to be able to honor our 2020 awardees in September. Due to the enduring nature of the pandemic, we had to cancel the 2020 Excellence Awards altogether.

Given these circumstances, we decided not to select a new slate of award winners for 2021. Instead we will use this event to honor our previously selected award recipients for 2020 and to celebrate our community’s collective response to COVID-19.

As the pandemic does not appear to be waning, we are mindful that it is not realistic to try to gather in-person for this event. So rather than postpone again, we have decided to host the first ever PLAN Virtual Excellence Awards!

We are committed to maintaining the honor and integrity that has always embodied PLAN’s Excellence Awards. Our event will follow the same format as our in-person ceremony and be professionally produced and fitting for the occasion.

We are pleased to share that Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht has agreed to be our Speaker at our March 2021 event.

We look forward to honoring the following at the March 2021 Virtual Excellence Awards:

• Wesley C. Allen, Esq. 
  Senior Attorney, Family Advocacy Unit • Community Legal Services • Philadelphia, PA
• Mardi Busanus 
  Volunteer • Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania • Doylestown, PA
• El Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas (CATA) 
  El Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas (The Farmworkers Support Committee) • Kennett Square, PA
• Robert Damewood, Esq. 
  Staff Attorney • Regional Housing Legal Services • Pittsburgh, PA
• Erin Guay 
  Paralegal • Pennsylvania Health Law Project • Pittsburgh, PA
• Samuel R. Grego, Esq. 
  Principal • Dickie McCamey, & Chilcote, P.C. • Pittsburgh, PA
• Gabriele Miller-Wagner 
  Administrative Assistant, Pro Bono Department • Pennsylvania Bar Association • Harrisburg, PA
• Matthew S. Rich, Esq. 
  Staff Attorney • MidPenn Legal Services • Harrisburg, PA
• Joan M. Tutak, Esq.  
  Senior Attorney • Neighborhood Legal Services • Butler, PA

Of special honor is the Outstanding Leadership In Support of Legal Services Award, which will be presented to:

• Samuel W. Milkes, Esq.
  Former Executive Director, Pennsylvania Legal Services Network, Inc.

Since this event will be broadcast live, we're not requiring attendees to register in advance or purchase a ticket. In lieu of purchasing a ticket, we're asking those that wish to attend to consider making a donation in honor of an award recipient.

In addition, we'll be making our awards program available in print and electronically on our event page. If you would like to receive your program by mail in advance of the ceremony, please complete this form no later than March 5, 2021 at 5:00 PM.

Please contact Brianna Bosak (bbosak@palegalaid.net) or Natalie Bogerman (nbogerman@palegalaid.net) if you require additional information or have any questions.