“Legal aid is the ugly duckling of charities. There’s no celebrity spokesman. No puppies or radiant children. No viral videos promoting an ice-bucket challenge. There’s just that deer-in-the-headlights look of millions of poor Americans who face child support hearings, custody fights, evictions and more without a clue about how to navigate the courts and without the benefit of counsel.”
– Kim Kleman, Editor-in-chief, The American Lawyer

Funding

We are supported by a federal grant from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Legal Services Corporation of Virginia (LSCV), Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA), United Ways across our service area, various localities and foundations, the Roanoke Local Office on Aging (LOA), the Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging (SAAA), Valley Program for Aging Services (VPAS), and contributions from the public.

Contributions

Contributions from the public are an increasingly important source of support for our efforts to provide low-income residents of the Shenandoah and Roanoke Valleys with critically needed legal assistance. Every year our Board of Directors faces difficult budgetary decisions in our efforts to maintain our level of services and keep existing staff. Contributions from individuals in the communities we serve, either through their local United Way campaigns or directly, have made a dramatic difference in our ability to serve clients.

Please consider supporting our work with a designated gift through your local United Way campaign (or if you’re a state employee, through the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC)). 

Because we are a 501(c)3 organization, your donation may be tax deductible. Moreover, since BRLS is an approved Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) project, donations may qualify you for a 65% Virginia state income tax credit under the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP).

BRLS is registered with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Office of Consumer Affairs pursuant to the Virginia Solicitation of Contributions Law. A financial statement is available upon written request from the Office of Consumer Affairs.

Because BRLS receives funding from the Legal Services Corporation, we are required to notify all donors, including private donors, that we will not engage in advocacy activities prohibited by the LSC Act (42 USC 2996 et seq. or by Public Law 104-134) or LSC Appropriations Riders. See 45 CFR 1610. If you would like more information on these restrictions please call or email us at info@brls.org. 

Additionally, BRLS is often in need of equipment/furniture donations: computers reference books for our law libraries, conference room chairs, and filing cabinets, for example. Contact John Whitfield if you have equipment to donate or if you have questions about donations.

Every gift is important and allows BRLS to continue to provide crucial services to those in the community who need us. Thank you in advance for your support.