Aaron's Acres is committed to providing support for families affected by disabilities. While Aaron's Acres has a variety of resources at its disposal, the local nonprofit also has the wherewithal to access resources it doesn't possess - resources that are available through organizations like the Lancaster Law Foundation.

"Aaron's Acres recently received a grant that supports families in need of legal services as they plan for their children who have disabilities," said Risa Paskoff, Aaron's Acres' executive director. "It was a great way to help families begin the challenging conversation of how to plan for their children's futures, especially as the parents age. Lawyers gave of their time and met with our families for initial conversations. Funds from this grant are then available if families wish to continue the conversations with the attorneys."

"The mission of the Lancaster Bar Association and the Lancaster Law Foundation is to advance justice in the community and enhance that feeling of community," said Mackenzie Haines, the Lancaster Bar Association's director of programs and community initiatives. "Fellowship and justice are just two of our core values, and they really sum up what we do. We want to be in the community helping people out."

A philanthropic arm of the Lancaster Bar Association, the Lancaster Law Foundation conducted its Planning With a Purpose Clinic for families served by Aaron's Acres on Sept. 16 at Manor Church, 530 Central Manor Road, Lancaster. The three-hour event consisted of the Aaron's Acres families meeting face-to-face and one-on-one with local attorneys for 30 minutes to discuss the legal challenges that can arise when family members are disabled.

The attorneys' work was performed on a pro bono basis.

"The main goal was to give families peace of mind," said Haines. "Oftentimes, it can be a daunting conversation to start. We were so happy to pair with Aaron's Acres to get it started."

A total of 10 families dealing with disabilities attended the Planning With a Purpose Clinic, and half of those families decided to have further legal discussions with lawyers. Portions of the costs of those future consultations will be funded through the grant that Aaron's Acres obtained from the Lancaster Law Foundation.

Among the legal issues discussed were guardianship, special needs trusts and financial and educational planning.

"Overall, it was a great meeting and a great environment," said Haines. "Aaron's Acres reached out to the foundation and told us they had families in need. The bar association asked attorneys to do the work pro bono, and they were happy to be there giving back."

After Aaron's Acres applied for the $3,000 grant, its request was reviewed and approved by a Lancaster Law Foundation committee.

Aaron's Acres is headquartered at 1861 Charter Lane, Suite 114, Lancaster.

"We gave the grant to Aaron's Acres for them to use at their discretion," said Haines, "and that money covered some of the legal fees. (The legal clinic) spurred more conversations involving families' futures. But for some, they weren't quite ready to think about the future."

The grant to Aaron's Acres was one of seven that have been awarded to similar organizations by the Lancaster Law Foundation this year. Also receiving financial support were Lancaster city's Bench Mark Program, the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, Church World Service, MidPenn Legal Services, Tenfold and Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center (PIRC).

The grants awarded to those seven organizations were valued at $53,445.

"The main goal of the grants is the same as the Lancaster Law Foundation's, which is to promote equality and expand justice across Lancaster County," said Haines. "You can see that the clinic fits into a lot of those categories. The foundation's executive board has a grant committee that collects grant requests, reviews them and makes decisions."

The Lancaster Law Foundation was formed in 2002. Since 2020, the foundation has awarded $353,000 in grants.

"We're well known in the legal community," said Haines. "But outside of that, I don't think people know about the work we're doing. We'd like to do more, and anything we could do to expand in any way would be wonderful."

Located at 28 E. Orange St., Lancaster, the Lancaster Bar Association boasts nearly 800 members - lawyers, judges, legal professionals and law students.

"A lot of our lawyers are involved in the community," said Haines. "Oftentimes, they're looking to give back. They have so much expertise. Anytime they get a chance to go out into the community, they love that."