The Florida Bar Foundation

One Child’s Story

“Alvaro,” an 11-year-old Central Florida boy, had such a severely misaligned bite that besides being in pain he had difficulty chewing, swallowing and even speaking. His peers made fun of him mercilessly, and he had become withdrawn and dejected. Alvaro was denied orthodontic services by Medicaid, and when he and his mother attended a hearing pro se, the hearing officer told them the child did not meet the medically necessary criteria.

How Legal Aid Helps

Stories like Alvaro’s are real and there are many more like them. Fortunately for Alvaro, Legal Aid was there to help:

Legal Aid found an orthodontist who took Medicaid and who provided an expert opinion that Alvaro’s case met the Medicaid criteria, enabling him to win an appeal and get the treatment he so badly needed.

Today, there are only 22 legal aid and legal services attorneys dedicated full-time to addressing the special legal needs of children in Florida. That’s only one legal aid attorney for every 33,175 poor children. Even counting the significant amount of pro bono services for children already donated by Florida Bar members, the need for legal services is far greater:

• for learning disabled children in need of testing and educational services required by law
• for children suspended from school or placed in the hands of juvenile justice authorities or law enforcement for behavior problems directly related to a disability
• for older foster children who do not receive mandated independent living skills training and, at age 18, are simply removed from state care
• for disabled children improperly denied federal disability benefits, or for foster children denied health care or mental health treatment ordered by the courts

Children’s Legal Services Grants

Since 1999, The Florida Bar Foundation has funded special annual grants for legal assistance to children out of IOTA funds. Starting in 2000-01, gifts to the Foundation from The Florida Bar Fee Statement have supported these grants.

The Foundation set several goals for its Children's Legal Services grant initiative, but emphasizes access to special education and health-care services required under law. Another goal is to create and energize a statewide network of children's legal services providers. The network also can provide support to the thousands of Florida attorneys involved in Children's Legal Services through guardian ad litem and other pro bono projects.

In 2008, the Foundation gave Children's Legal Services grants totaling more than $2.7 million to 22 local legal aid and legal services programs to help children like Alvaro become productive adults. One hundred percent of all funds contributed to the Lawyers' Challenge for Children provide direct support to programs that better the live of Florida's children. No administrative fees are deducted from these contributions.

2008 Children’s Legal Services Grants

How to Make a Gift on Your Florida Bar Fee Statement:

1) Fill in the amount of your tax-deductible contribution to The Florida Bar Foundation on the front of the 2009-10 Florida Bar Fee Statement in the box next to the suggested contribution level of $45.

2) Add the amount of the gift to the TOTAL PAID box and include it in the check total.

Or to Give Directly to the Foundation:

Donate online or send your tax-deductible gift payable to: The Florida Bar Foundation, P.O. Box 1553, Orlando, Florida 32802-1553. Please earmark your gift for the Lawyers' Challenge for Children.

View the list of Lawyers' Challenge for Children supporters.

For more information:

Tim Bachmeyer
(407) 843-0045
Or toll free in Florida: (800) 541-2195