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Legal Agency Raises A Cup Of Hope To Help Victims

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BY MEGAN HUSSEY

Tribune correspondent

Published: August 2, 2008

An upcoming celebration will offer a "Cup Of Hope" for domestic violence victims in Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

The fourth annual Cup of Hope tea party, set for 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 1 at the home of John and Tracey Bales in Tampa, will benefit the efforts of Bay Area Legal Services to provide aid to victims of domestic violence in the three-county area.

"Bay Area Legal Services provides free legal services for people in need, for the low-income families in the Bay area," said Grace Yang, a lawyer who serves on this year's Cup of Hope committee. "Cup of Hope specifically raises money to support domestic violence victims in the legal problems they might face."

Bay Area Legal Services, with local offices in New Port Richey and Dade City, can offer vital legal aid to domestic violence victims who need to obtain injunctions against abusers who threaten them, victims who wish to file for divorce, or those who are fighting for custody of their children. In 2007, Cup of Hope raised about $25,000 for these services, said committee chairwoman Beth Eppley, director of development for Bay Area Legal Services.

"We hope to increase that figure this year since the need for help has not decreased," said Anne Childers, of Childers Travel and Recreation and a member of the Cup of Hope committee.

Committee member and Bay Area Legal Services family law attorney Jena Hudson said the event is all about awareness.

"We hope to raise awareness in the community about domestic violence in general, and what Bay Area Legal Services can do for domestic violence victims," Hudson said, "and the proceeds from the event help us do the work that we do."

Aside from supporting a good cause, those who attend Cup of Hope will enjoy tea, wine, finger sandwiches, cakes, vegetable trays, chocolates and other delicacies catered by Rita Carlino.
Barbershop quartet Heralds of Harmony Barbershop will provide music, and attendees can participate in a fun hat contest, with prizes awarded for most creative, most elegant, etc.

Drawings also will be offered for prizes that include shopping sprees, flat-screen TVs and vacation packages.

Overall, Yang sees Cup of Hope as an opportunity for good times with friends while lending a helping hand to those in need.

"I always go to the Cup of Hope tea party with some of my girlfriends. It's a chance to catch up," Yang said. "It's a social for a good cause."
Eppley agrees.

"When domestic violence victims come to Bay Area Legal Services for help they have no hope," she said. "Once they receive the help and become a survivor they have hope, which gives them strength and the desire and ability to move forward with their life.

"Hope changes lives. That's why we created the Cup of Hope ... to continue to make a difference for victims of domestic violence. Where there's hope, there's life."

CUP OF HOPE

SOME BACKGROUND: The Cup of Hope tea party will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 1 at the home of John and Tracey Bales in Tampa. The event is a fundraiser for Bay Area Legal Services to provide legal aid to victims of domestic violence.

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS: Bay Area Legal Services is, according to www.bals.org, "a family of 49 lawyers, and a support staff of 55, all who have dedicated themselves to providing free civil legal services for low-income families throughout the Bay Area."

This year's Cup of Hope committee members are: Beth Eppley, Bay Area Legal; Lisa Angelici, Williams Schifino; Irene Bassel, Akerman Senterfitt; Anne Childers, Childers Travel; Lorien Smith Johnson; Gina Palumbo, Santo Giovanni Colezione; Connie Pruitt, Hillsborough County Bar Association; Debra Schrils, local TV personality; Grace Yang, Gray Robinson; Kelly Stigall, Wis-Eye-Dea; and Jena Hudson, Bay Area Legal Services.

GET INVOLVED: Tickets for the Cup of Hope tea party are $30 per person; they can be ordered online at www.bals.org, or reserved with a credit card by calling (727) 847-5494, (352) 567-9044 or 813-232-1222, ext. 156.

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