Laura Salter of Finneytown probably will not attend the Legal Aid Society's dedication today of the Donald P. Klekamp Community Law Center Building downtown.

        She is recuperating from open heart surgery. But she says the agency helped her through hard times.

        A history of rheumatic fever, a move from welfare to a temporary job, and the surgery left Mrs. Salter with no insurance and a bill for $10,000.

Donald P. Klekamp donated $1 million toward the new Legal Aid Society building that bears his name. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        “Legal Aid definitely was a big help to me and my three children,” she said. “There is no way I could have made it without their services.”

        Legal Aid helped Mrs. Salter get medical insurance and is helping her buy a blood-monitoring device.

        Her family is among 26,000 who received legal representation, information, advice and referral from Legal Aid last year for problems with employment, housing, domestic violence, child welfare services, public benefits and health care.

        The new law center at 215 E. Ninth Street will help extend those services, said Mary Asbury, executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati.

        “With this facility, we are now ready to expand what we have being doing in the community,” Ms. Asbury said. “This building gives us the location and the space to do that.”

        Legal Aid and the Volunteer Lawyers Project occupy 21,000 square feet in the center on three floors.

        The building was named in honor of Mr. Klekamp because of his support and his lead pledge of $1 million to Legal Aid's “Help Make Things Happen” capital and endowment campaign.

        Mr. Klekamp said he and his wife, Marianne, are dedicated to giving something back to the community.

        “Marianne and I have been blessed in many ways, including a law practice that allowed me to provide legal services to a number of the more significant businesses in our community,” the Keating, Muething and Klekamp partner said.

        “My commitment to these clients did not allow me much time to become involved with .. the Legal Aid Society. We felt that providing funding to assist the Legal Aid Society in the acquisition and remodeling of their new location gave us the opportunity to give something back.”

        With an annual budget of nearly $5 million, the Legal Aid Society provides services in Brown, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren Counties.

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