AILA and Partners to Help Thousands Apply for Citizenship on 4/17/10
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, April 16, 2010
CONTACTS:
George Tzamaras or Jenny Levy
202-507-7649
202-507-7628
gtzamaras@aila.org
jlevy@aila.org
Washington, D.C. - The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) will celebrate its 4th Annual Citizenship Day on Saturday, April 17 by helping more than 2,000 legal permanent residents apply to become US citizens. In partnership with the "ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía!" campaign, AILA will hold 43 naturalization clinics in 30 states serving more than 2000 immigrants who are preparing to become citizens.
"It will take about 400 AILA attorneys and 900 non-attorney volunteers to help over 2000 legal residents apply to become citizens and so they can fully participate in the American way of life. These immigrants come here to pursue the American dream and they are our lifeblood. They make us who we are and help contribute to our nation. It is an honor to serve them and be a part of their journey," said AILA President Bernie Wolfsdorf.
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 2010, AILA Citizenship Day will celebrate its 4th anniversary on a national scale and its second 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 Associate 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."
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, California, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington, and the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. A list of clinic coordinators and their phone numbers is available after this release.
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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.
ArizonaEzequiel Hernandez - Phoenix, (602) 314-1002
California
Los Angeles - Julie Sparks, (213) 250-2210
San Diego - Miko Tokuhama-Olsen, (877) 534-2524
San Francisco - Mary Beth Kaufman, (415) 392-6161
San Francisco - Lisa Baker, (415) 395-9331
Santa Clara Valley - Ritu Goswamy, (408) 583-4456
Colorado
Alyssa Reed, (303) 554-8400
Hans Meyer, (303) 831-0817
Georgia
Elizabeth Garvish, (678) 904-0085
Florida
Jacksonville - Erika Curran, (904) 680-7650
Orlando - Kira Romero-Craft, (407) 841-8310
Illinois
Cathy Higgins-Mora, (312) 604-2624
Massachusetts
Sara Ward, (617) 695-2220
Michigan
Aimee Guthat, (248) 649-5404
Minnesota
Rochester - Chris Wendt, (507) 538-1156
New York
Karin Wolman, (212) 918-4940
Charlotte Smith, (212) 230-2895
North Carolina
Nicola Prall, (919) 854-0044
North Dakota
Fargo - F. Snyder Gokey, (701) 237-6983
Ohio
Cincinnati - Jorge Martinez, (513) 795-0979
Cleveland - Stacy Cozart, (216) 348-9878
Columbus - Mark Nesbit, (614) 586-1310
Toledo - Sala Gembala, (419) 255-0814
Oregon
Irina Batrakova, (503) 226-2966
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia - Judi Bernstein-Baker, (215) 832-0900
Pittsburgh - Cynthia Yializis, (412) 638-7807
Texas
Austin - Faye Kolly, (512) 852-4129
El Paso - Lisa Rios, (915) 545-4716
Utah
Esperanza Granados, (801) 531-6600
Washington State
Kripa Upadhyay, (206) 224-0909
Washington, D.C. Metro
Sheila Starkey Hahn, (301) 299-7760