On October 7, 2014, Neil Forester will be publicly presented with a resolution from the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors at the Human Services Recognition Ceremony as a Hero of Human Services. The Heroes of Human Service Awards recognition was created to honor those who have touched the lives of others through their advocacy and demonstrated outstanding involvement and commitment to human services throughout Sacramento County.

Forester has served on the WEAVE Board of Directors since 2011 and is the current Board Vice President. Forester’s contributions to WEAVE are numerous but his most impactful efforts have been on establishing and building WEAVE Legal – WEAVE’s redesigned legal services program which ensures victims of domestic violence have access to free and low bono legal assistance and are not further victimized by perpetrators who exploit the legal system as part of their harassment and abuse of the victim.

“Neil is very deserving of this award and we are proud to have Neil represent WEAVE,” stated Beth Hassett, Executive Director of WEAVE. “We owe a great deal to Neil for helping us launch WEAVE Legal. Being able to provide legal services to victims of domestic violence is a big deal due to the limited resources in the community.”

WEAVE Legal launched in early 2013. WEAVE Legal leverages volunteer attorneys and law students under the supervision of a staff attorney to better meet the complex legal needs of domestic violence victims. Since the launch of the program, more than 1,000 victims have been able to access appropriate legal assistance and support which has enabled victims to increase their safety while working towards self-sufficiency and a life free of violence. WEAVE Legal provides free and low-cost legal services for eligible domestic violence victims.  WEAVE offers a series of legal workshops addressing the most common legal questions and needs including Court Preparation for a Domestic Violence Restraining Order hearing, Divorce Preparation, and the Child Custody process.

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