The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network is proud to announce the recipients of its 2011 Excellence Awards.

The list includes a variety of civil legal aid professionals and friends of civil legal aid across Pennsylvania who are being recognized for their efforts in support of the clients served by the civil legal programs of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network.

Individuals selected to receive the 2011 PLAN Excellence Award include:

• Philip A. Bertocci, Esq.
  Supervising Attorney, Community Legal Services Inc., Philadelphia, PA
   
• Cheryl Coe
  Paralegal, North Penn Legal Services, Towanda, PA
   
• Jesse W. Edison
  Client Advocate, Neighborhood Legal Services Association, Corapolis, PA
   
• Phyllis E. Guillaume
  Chief Financial Officer, Regional Housing Legal Services, Glenside, PA
   
• Mary Richardson Graham (Senior, Development Officer, Community Legal Services Inc.) and
  Joseph A. Tate, Esq. (Private Bar Volunteer, Dechert, LLP)
  Philadelphia, PA
   
• Thomas A. Tupitza, Esq.
  Private Bar Volunteer, Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C., Erie, PA
   
• Karen Tyler
  Paralegal, Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Chester, PA
   
• Brenda Zimmerman, Esq.
  Attorney, MidPenn Legal Services, Lewistown, PA

This year, the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Awards program will also include a special recognition of those individuals and groups involved in the creation of Pennsylvania’s statewide Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). Pennsylvania’s LRAP program will provide financial assistance to 75 public interest attorneys and will assist the 25 IOLTA funded organizations in the recruitment and retention of program lawyers.

The 2011 Excellence Awards will be presented at the annual awards dinner on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at the Harrisburg Hilton and Towers. The evening’s keynote speaker will be Pennsylvania State Senator Jay Costa.

A social hour will take place from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, followed by a buffet dinner. Cost for the dinner is $50 per person. Dinner reservations may be made and paid for online at the link below. VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover are all accepted by the online reservation system.

PLAN, Inc. is accepting event sponsorships and advertisements for the event program. Sponsorships and advertising may be submitted and paid for at the link below. For more information about sponsorship and advertising opportunities please contact Christine Kirby at ckirby@palegalaid.net or 412-586-6137.

Online Dinner Reservations and Sponsorship/Advertising Opportunities