The Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic (CGLAC), which received a timely $15,000 grant from the Illinois Bar Foundation, will hold its annual dinner Thursday, Sept. 20, at the Fairmont Hotel, Chicago.

Although the event, titled “A Passion for Justice and Mercy,” is called a benefit, there is no charge to attend. Instead, participants will learn more about the clinic and have opportunities to contribute after the program.

Awards will be presented after the 5:30 p.m. reception and 6:30 p.m. dinner, and a keynote address will be given by former presidential speech writer Michael Gerson, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

A graduate of Wheaton College, Gerson was a senior editor of U.S. News and World Report before joining the presidential campaign of George W. Bush in 1999 and eventually becoming assistant to the president for policy and strategic planning.

The Chicago firm of Jenner & Block will receive CGLAC's Kenneth and Margaret Taylor Spirit of Generosity Award for its commitment to pro bono service in the legal aid community.

Richard Sawdey of Hoogendoorn & Talbot will receive the Charles V. Hogren Outstanding Service Award for pro bono involvement with the clinic since it was founded in 1973 by LaSalle Street Church.

ABC-Channel 7 news anchor Cheryl Burton will be master of ceremonies, and entertainment will be provided by the Harmony Hope and Healing Choir, which serves homeless and vulnerable Chicago residents.

In his application for the Illinois Bar Foundation grant, Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic executive director Robert B. Acton said its mission “is to answer God's call to seek justice and mercy by providing legal services to the poorest of the poor.”

The clinic represents income-eligible clients, who are 86 percent African American and 9 percent Latino, by bridging the gap between them and the lawyers and law students who want to serve them.

The volunteer program in the past year enlisted 376 legal professionals to provide 8,250 hours of pro bono representation to 1,836 clients.

“Volunteers also fill a critical role in out intake process,” Acton said, “as well as assist in the staffing of our expungement help desk at the Daley Center … which has a proven impact on recidivism.”

Since 1999, the Bar Foundation has contributed a total of $55,500 to CGLAC, including the current grant to expand its capacity to train volunteers and add programs.