Volunteer Spotlights
Volunteer Spotlight
February 2012
Yoshie Takaoka-Adams, Volunteer
- Paralegal Intern, 2008
- I&R Volunteer, 2008-present
- Self Help Committee, 2009-present
Yoshie Takaoka-Adams joined Legal Voice in 2008 as a Paralegal Intern, which also included working on the Information and Referral (I&R) Line. She now serves on the Self Help Committee, continues to work on the I&R Line and takes on more responsibility all the time. She also has been known to make delicious treats for Legal Voice’s Dessert Dash for the Auction!
How did you first get involved with Legal Voice?
I was at the University of Washington Paralegal Program and a friend of mine found out about Legal Voice and referred me.
What is your favorite part about volunteering?
I like the I&R Line the most. I get to deal directly deal with callers about their legal problems – and there is a wide variety of legal issues. I feel helpful and it is a good feeling to help people out.
Describe a social ill or problem that you feel needs more attention.
There are many incarcerated people who are held for short periods of time (3-6 months) who don’t have access to resources and but still have to respond to family law issues. There are almost no resources for these people.
What do you do when you're not at the Legal Voice offices?
In my spare time, I’ve been researching politics and economics. I am also helping my son learn Japanese.
If there was a film made about your life, who would play your role?
Cameron Diaz
Thank you, Yoshie, for all of your hard work and your dedication to women's rights!
Committee Spotlight
February 2012
Hooray for Technology Committee! What? You did not know Legal Voice had a Technology Committee? Well, we do, and they have been hard at work in 2011 looking for ways to improve our working environment.
Our first project resulted from a cry (literally!) from the Development program. They explained their frustration was created by a donor database adopted in 2002 that could not be updated. Simple utility like creating status reports for Board meetings or comparing fundraising campaigns from year to year took hours of valuable staff time to accomplish.
Committee members Matt Byers, Philippe Cloutier, Jerin Falkner, Tom Robertson and Stephanie Wilson went to work. Keeping in mind the limited resources available the committee assessed needs, reviewed and analyzed new technology, and conducted interviews to find the best match for Legal Voice. The committee felt so strongly that a change would result in better information tools and more staff time dedicated to meeting donors needs that it prepared a proposal to the Board recommending not only the purchase of new technology but a willingness to participate in targeted fundraising to make it so.
We are thrilled to say that the Board approved the proposal and with the help of Board member Emily Lieberman and interested donors we have raised over $11,000 of the projected $15,000 needed. The Development staff have stopped crying (about this anyway) and for that we are very grateful.
Volunteer Spotlight
November 2011
- I&R Volunteer, 2009-present
Jonathan Noll came to Legal Voice as a retired corporate attorney in 2009, and can be found every Thursday afternoon answering the phones for the Information and Referral Line.
How did you first get involved with Legal Voice?
I became involved with Legal Voice as an opportunity to use my legal training and experience to help people in need.
What is your favorite part about volunteering for the I&R Line?
Knowing that I help people resolve major problems confronting them is very satisfying.
Describe a social ill or problem that you feel needs more attention.
We need to address the evils presented by religious extremists who attempt to deny the rights of women and gays, and, in doing so, harm all of society.
What do you do when you're not at the Legal Voice offices?
I also volunteer at Planned Parenthood and the Puget Sound Blood Center, and I spend a great deal on time in athletic endeavors, primarily biking and swimming.
If there was a film made about your life, who would play your role?
In the unlikely event that a biography was ever filmed, I would like to be portrayed by Errol Flynn, but Pee Wee Herman would probably be more accurate.
Thank you, Jonathan, for all of your hard work and your dedication to women's rights!
Committee Spotlight
November 2011
“Creative”, “dynamic” and “enthusiastic” are some ways to describe this committee. Called the “hardest working committee” by the Development Staff, the Auction Committee starts meeting in the spring to undertake the fun if sometimes daunting tasks of procuring thousands of dollars worth of items, thinking of themes and fund-an-issue ideas, helping with the menu, working out logistics, and writing descriptions for the catalogue, all with the support of the Legal Voice staff.
Committee members also bring new ideas to the table. For example, in 2010 one of our members suggested doing a “dessert dash” instead of just auctioning off a few desserts. This change had proven successful with other organizations and upon further research, we decided to go for it. Just in the first year of our Dessert Dash, we raised four times the amount that desserts traditionally raised.
We’re grateful for this committee and their contribution not only to Legal Voice, but also for introducing people to the organization through this great party and keeping this event fresh and lively. Over the past few years we’ve had some great leaders, including Johanna Bender, Lee Kuo, Anne Eskridge, Alissa Haslam, Annette Ramirez, Lisa Pedee, Chenelle Love, Molly Lawrence and many, many others.
Volunteer Spotlight
August 2011
- Restaurant Procurement Lead on the auction committee, 2010 & 2011
- Raise Your Voice Member, 2010-2011
- Raise Your Voice Chair, 2011
As Annette Ramirez waded through Jewish History at the University of Washington, she took notice of the inequalities she saw, in all parts of the world, through every culture. Women just never seemed to get a fair shake. Though her childhood was full of first-hand experiences in gender discrimination, Annette’s stint as a history major solidified her resolve to help women obtain equal access to education, proper healthcare, and job opportunities. She’s looking down the road at a masters degree in social work, and in the meantime continues to seek new ways to help others, be it through Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Family Law CASA program, or through her leadership positions at Legal Voice. Annette loves the sense of community she’s found at Legal Voice and is excited to help put together more fun events for the Raise Your Voice crew.
What you’ll find Annette doing when she’s not fighting for women’s rights: Reading a good book or enjoying the perfect meal.
Where you’ll find Annette in 10 years: Working for a global organization that promotes the rights of women in all countries.
Questions for Annette:
Who’s your hero?
Zainab Salbi of Women for Women International who was inspired to help women in war torn regions rebuild their lives.
Who would play you in your biopic?
Rachel Wiesz
If you had to choose a theme song, what would it be?
Too many to choose, but something by Bebe or Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Thank you, Annette, for all of your hard work and dedication to women's rights!
Committee Spotlight
August 2011
Assisted Reproductive Technologies Policy Workgroup
Our reliance on our volunteers came into sharp focus over the last couple of years, when Legal Voice was asked to support a bill that would make it legal in Washington to pay women acting as surrogates by carrying someone else’s child. This issue is fraught with complications and challenges from a feminist perspective: how do we balance the right to form and maintain one’s family with possible exploitation of women with less money and power? Are issues of race and class implicated, and if so, how should they be dealt with?
Our work in this arena has been greatly enhanced by the members of our highly talented, committed, and engaged Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) policy workgroup, whose members explore the legal implications of issues such as in vitro fertilization, egg donation, and surrogacy.
ART workgroup members threw themselves into the project. They researched the law, bioethics, social implications and just about every aspect of the compensated surrogacy question. Over 18 months, they debated the issue, explored possible policy positions, and ultimately recommended a position to Legal Voice’s Board of Directors. The Board adopted their recommendation to support the proposed legislation as long as it contained appropriate restrictions to protect the rights and autonomy of women acting as surrogates. While the legislation did not pass in the 2011 legislative session, we anticipate it will be introduced again. Meanwhile, the workgroup has already started working on its next issue: egg donation.
We’re very grateful to the ART workgroup, Anna Benjamin, Susannah Carr, Kathryn Hinsch, Margaret Lane, Barbara Melber, Pat Novotny, Raegen Rasnic, Julie Severson, Julie Shapiro, and Ellen Torvik (along with former Legal Counsel Sara Ainsworth), for its thoughtful analysis, careful recommendations, and continued work to ensure women’s rights are protected in this ever-changing arena.
Click on the links to the left for detailed descriptions of available volunteer opportunities.
To volunteer for Legal Voice or get more information, please email our Volunteer Coordinator or call 206-682-9552 ext. 109.
Legal Voice is committed to diversity in the workplace. People from diverse communities and backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Women's rights. Nothing less.
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