AILA and Partners to Help Thousands Apply for Citizenship on Saturday, April 30
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 29, 2011
CONTACTS:
George Tzamaras / Jenny Levy
202-507-7649 / 202-507-7628
gtzamaras@aila.org / jlevy@aila.org
WASHINGTON, DC - The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) will celebrate its 5th Annual Citizenship Day on Saturday, April 30 by helping more than 2,500 legal permanent residents apply to become US citizens. In partnership with the "ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía!" campaign at more than half of the sites, AILA will hold 50 naturalization clinics in 19 states.
"It is our honor and privilege as immigration attorneys to serve immigrants in their effort to become naturalized citizens of the United States. This day is the best representation of what AILA is about and that's helping people who want to live and thrive in this country to become citizens who share the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans," said AILA President David Leopold.
As a single-day, nationwide event, AILA Citizenship Day provides free or low-cost assistance to eligible legal permanent residents who wish to apply for U.S. citizenship, utilizing partnerships between AILA chapters across the country and grassroots organizations such as the "ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía!" campaign. In 2011, AILA Citizenship Day will celebrate its 5th anniversary on a national scale and its fourth year with the campaign.
AILA's successes are due in large part to the national collaborative relationships that AILA has developed both with community organizations and stakeholders, as well as the USCIS Office of Citizenship. "The work we do together is much greater than the work we do apart," said Susan Timmons, AILA's Pro Bono Manager who coordinates Citizenship Day. "We reach at least a thousand more people with the help of our community partners than we'd be able to independent of them. Together we help hard working residents become citizens of the United States-we help them live their American dream."
"We are grateful to the more than 400 AILA attorneys and nearly 500 non attorneys who donate their time to this important event," said Leopold.
AILA Citizenship Day is an award winning venture, capturing the 2008 Award of Excellence in the Associations Advance America Awards program, a national competition sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and The Center for Association Leadership.
Citizenship Clinics will be held in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Washington, DC. A list of clinic coordinators and their phone numbers is available after this release.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.
Arizona
Phoenix - Ezequiel Hernandez,(602) 314-1002
Arkansas
Little Rock - Julie Larson, (501) 398-3157
California
Los Angeles - Julie Sparks, (213) 250-2210
San Francisco - Mary Beth Kaufman, (415) 392-6161
San Jose - Patricia Castorena, (408) 534-5471
Colorado
Denver - Hans Meyer, (303) 831-0817
Florida
Jacksonville - Erika Curran, (904) 680-7650
Orlando - Kira Romero-Craft, (407) 841-8310
St. Petersburg - John Dubrule, (727) 821-0726
Georgia
Atlanta - Elizabeth Garvish,
(678) 904-0085
Illinois
Chicago- Cathy Higgins-Mora,
(312) 604-2624
Indiana
Indianapolis - Angelin Fisher, (317) 429-4131
Maryland
Owings Mills - Jessica Lee,
(410) 356-5440
Massachusetts
Boston - Sara Ward, (617) 695-2220
New Jersey
Cherry Hill - Valentine Brown, (215) 979-1840
New Mexico
Albuquerque - Shahid Malik, (210) 590-1844
New York
New York City - Karin Wolman, (212) 918-4940,
Charlotte Smith, (212) 230-2895
Ohio
Cincinnati - Jorge Martinez, (513) 795-0979
Cleveland - Stacy Cozart, (216) 348-9878
Oregon
Portland - Irina Batrakova, (503) 226-2966
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia - Judi Bernstein-Baker, (215) 832-0900
Pittsburgh - Kamana Mathur, (412) 980-4529
Texas
Austin - Faye Kolly, (512) 852-4129
El Paso - Iliana Holguin, (915) 532-3975
Washington State
Seattle - Chris Helm, (206) 757-8060
Washington, D.C.
Carol Wolchuck, (202) 232-2046