2004 Grantee Excellence in Service and Programming Award

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans-Project SAVE

The Louisiana Bar Foundation (LBF) awarded the Grantee Award for Excellence in Service and Programming to Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans-Project SAVE. The award was presented at the LBF Annual Breakfast Meeting on Thursday, June 10, 2004, in Sandestin, Florida.

The Grantee Award for Excellence in Service and Programming recognizes a grantee for an innovative, imaginative program and/or public service in the legal arena. The award emphasizes creativity of the idea, efficiency of execution, outcomes of the project or programs and its ability to be duplicated by other service programs and to be proven flexible enough to change course as emerging needs arise.

Project SAVE (Stopping Abuse through Victim Empowerment), is a program within Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, that exclusively offers emergency civil legal representation to victims of domestic violence in Orleans Parish. Project SAVE has grown from one non-lawyer advocate assisting victims at Civil District Court to a small pro-bono law firm with three full-time lawyers and one law clerk serving annually nearly 400 primary victims of abuse and about 500 secondary victims (children who witness abuse).

Project SAVE is partnered with New Orleans Legal Assistance, Domestic Violence Unit. This unique partnership provides the victim a comprehensive continuum of legal care which is essential to break the cycle of violence which often plagues families for generations.