C.R. Ward recipient of 2006
Client Community Service Award
March 14, 2006
 |
|
C.R. Ward (right)
and Willis Williams
|
(Raleigh, NC) - The client community of Legal Aid of North Carolina
awarded the 2006 Client Community Service Award to C.R. Ward of Lake Waccamaw,
NC.
“Mr. Ward has helped many people over the years,” said Williams at the
service award luncheon on March 14.
“He is truly deserving of this recognition. We are and have been
honored to work with him on many projects.”
Ward, a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, landed in France a few days
after the original D-Day. He later was a public school teacher in the
Columbus County Schools in North Carolina.
Over the years, Ward has been actively involved in Columbus County politics and
has advocated for the interests of legal aid clients for decades. He also
served on the Board of Directors of Legal Services of the Lower Cape Fear
(LSLCF) for more than twenty years.
Ward is well-known in Columbus County for his involvement in local issues and is
supportive of those who organize efforts to provide positive change in
communities across the county.
In 1991, he was the lead plaintiff in the 1991 voting rights class action that
challenged the use of at-large elections to elect members of the Board of County
Commissioners of Columbus County. The use of at-large elections was held
violative of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and defendants were ordered to
use a different election method This resulted in the election of Black and
Native American county commissioners in Columbus County for the first time in
more than a century.
Considered a brave leader in community issues, Ward continues to be an active
member of the LANC Board of Directors and the Legal Aid of North Carolina Clients Council,
and he is currently President of the Southeast Region Clients Council. He also
attends meetings of the LANC-Wilmington Local Advisory Council, encourages
client involvement in the council and challenges clients to be actively involved
in their communities.
The LANC Clients Council established the
Client Community Service Award in 2004
to recognize a legal aid client or low-income community leader in North Carolina
who has provided extraordinary and dedicated service to the equal justice
community and to organizations that promote access to justice for low-income
people. Selection criteria for the award include: service to the justice
community; demonstrated leadership to advance low-income people; and significant
volunteer efforts to empower low-income people and remove legal barriers to
economic opportunity in North Carolina.
The Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) Clients Council is a LANC advisory committee,
whose mission is to educate and empower poor and low-income citizens
regarding rights, responsibilities and available resources necessary for them to
achieve economic, political and social justice.
Legal Aid of North
Carolina (LANC) is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal
services in civil matters to low-income people in order to ensure equal access
to justice and to remove legal barriers to economic opportunity.
____________
RELATED ARTICLE(S):
*
"Willis E. Williams recipient of 2004 Client Community Service
Award,"
(Media Release, May 5, 2004)
Disclaimer
The materials contained on this website are for information and educational
purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Please contact your
Legal Aid of North Carolina office or a private attorney if you need to speak to
an attorney regarding your particular situation. See our complete
disclaimer.
Mission Statement
Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that
provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in
order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers
to economic opportunity.