Second Chance and Family Connection Summit on Dec. 9
Summit to Assist Those With Criminal Histories Prepare Petitions to Expunge or Seal Records
BLOOMINGTON – Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA) is partnering with local community organizations to host a Second Chance and Family Connection Summit for residents of McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties. The summit will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, at YWCA McLean County, 1201 N. Hershey Rd., Bloomington.
The summit provides the opportunity for people to receive legal consultations to address barriers posed by past arrests and convictions. Arrests and convictions records can pose barriers in so many areas of a person’s life. Employment, housing, licensure and educational opportunities can often be denied based on a person’s past, ignoring all that a person has accomplished since that time. These barriers can limit a person’s ability to provide for themselves and their families.
In Illinois, the sealing law was recently expanded, so thousands more people are eligible to petition the court for relief.
At the summit, attorneys from CGLA and volunteers will research participants’ criminal histories and prepare petitions to expunge and seal for those who are eligible. Attorneys will also give important information about other options that can help people who have convictions that cannot be sealed get certified to work despite their convictions.
To register for the summit, visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/McLeanSummit2017. Registrants will be provided with information on what documents they need to obtain and provide before the event. Deadline to register for the summit is Dec. 6.
Volunteers are needed for the event. Interested volunteers can get more information at http://www.ilprairiecf.org/second-chance-and-family-connection-summit/.
The summit is made possible thanks to a grant from the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation’s Women to Women Giving Circle and a partnership with the YWCA, Prairie State Legal Aid and Public Interest Law Initiative.
Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, now in its 19th year, encourages and facilitates philanthropy in McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties by connecting donors who care with causes that matter to them. The Foundation currently manages assets of more than $15 million in 150 funds including endowments and donor advised, fiscal sponsorship and scholarship funds.