The 2009 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Awards were presented at the annual awards dinner on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, at the Harrisburg Hilton & Towers.

The evening's keynote speaker was The Honorable Marjorie O. Rendell, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. A social hour preceded the awards dinner which began at 6:00 PM. 

The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Awards honor members and friends of the legal aid community who exemplify excellence in their commitment and accomplishments as advocates for low-income people.

The 2009 Excellence Award recipients include includes a variety of civil legal aid professionals and friends of civil legal aid across Pennsylvania who were recognized for their efforts in support of the clients served by the programs of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network.
 

Individuals selected for recognition include:

• Karen Detamore, Esq.
  Executive Director, Friends of Farmworkers, Inc.
• Joseph K. Goldberg, Esq.
  Harrisburg, PA 
• Brian Hudson
  Executive Director, PA Housing Finance Agency
• Catherine T. Martin, Esq.
  Managing Attorney, Neighborhood Legal Services Association
• Kathy J. Parks
  Paralegal, MidPenn Legal Services
• Elizabeth C. Price
  Executive Director, Delaware County Bar Association
• Catherine Rusk
  Paralegal, North Penn Legal Services
• Richard Weishaupt, Esq.
  Senior Attorney, Community Legal Services

Also recognized with Excellence Awards were the Honorable Darnell Jones, Judge, U.S. District Court of Eastern District of PA (and former President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County), and the Honorable Annette Rizzo, Judge, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, for their work relating to the groundbreaking Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Pilot Program that was implemented in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County in 2008.

The HomeWorks Project was also presented with an Excellence Award for a unique and innovative collaboration between Regional Housing Legal Services and the Pennsylvania Health Law Project to develop a supportive housing project tailored to the needs of a group of disabled individuals.

Individuals recognized in connection with the project include David Gates, Esq., PA Health Law Project and Kim Dolan, Esq., Regional Housing Legal Services, as well as the residents of the project, Kevin Alston, Michael Anderson and William Keech. 

A video tribute to each of the award winners was presented during the awards ceremony. Those video tributes may be viewed below. Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. salutes each of the 2009 award winners for their efforts in promoting equal justice to all.