Susan Eisenhower and Frankie Unanue
Adele Stone, Susan Eisenhower, Anita Byer and Judge Renee Goldenberg
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (May 2, 2018) – Legal Aid Service of Broward County and Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida hosted their 2018 Bridge to Justice Breakfast fundraiser – a Morning with Susan Eisenhower. The annual breakfast serves to increase awareness and raise critical funds for Legal Aid programs in Broward County and raised $60,500. Goya Foods has been the presenting Sponsor since inception of the annual fundraiser. Frankie Unanue of Goya welcomed attendees with a personal account of how his grandfather started Goya in lower Manhattan after migrating to the U.S. from Spain.
Retired Judge Renee Goldenberg shared a powerful story of how President Dwight D. Eisenhower rescued her family from a concentration camp after World War II. Eisenhower sent trucks of American soldiers into the camp with phone books from the United States so survivors could find relatives. Goldenberg’s mother and father found relatives in the United States. At the time, Goldenberg’s mother was pregnant…with Renee. So they came to the United States to start a new life.
Susan Eisenhower is the granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and is the CEO and Chairman of the Eisenhower Group and Chairman Emeritus of The Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College. She also is a widely respected author, lecturer and international security expert.
Susan regaled the group with personal snapshots of life with her Grandfather who was hailed by his inner circles as “bigger than life and twice as natural.” She spoke of his involvement in World War II and the reasons behind his decisions to drop the 82nd and 101st airborne troops on Normandy and how he put his orders in writing so Air Commander-in-Chief Mallory’s career wouldn’t be on the line.
“My grandfather saw each member of the 82nd and 101st airborne off the night before they left,” said Eisenhower. “They talked about football and fishing – because he wanted them to remember what they were living for. They already knew what they were dying for.”
The breakfast took place at the Renaissance Hotel in Fort Lauderdale on April 27. The 150+ guests enjoyed a networking and coffee reception at 7:15 a.m. followed by a seated breakfast and presentation by Eisenhower at 8 a.m.
Emcee, organizer and founder of the event Adele Stone of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC traveled to Normandy just last year with Eisenhower and was thrilled to bring her to the Broward Legal Aid community to share her story. “We are honored to be part of an organization that helps people with things many take for granted,” said Stone. “Funds raised from the event will help bring desperately needed civil legal services to those who go without.”
Both organizations work cooperatively with more than 120 area non-profits to protect and defend the legal rights of more than 20,000 children, seniors, veterans, homeless persons, domestic violence victims, unaccompanied immigrant minors, and persons living with HIV/AIDS each year.
The morning program highlighted the Mission United Veterans Pro Bono Project in partnership with the United Way. The program offers free civil legal assistance to Broward’s active military, veterans and their families as they re-acclimate to civilian life. Vice Chair for the joint Board of Directors of both legal aid organizations Jeffrey Wank of Kelley Kronenberg, closed the program by asking the audience to take these stories home and reflect on or create their own, as we all work together for the common good.
Event sponsors included: Goya Foods; Valley National Bank; Buchanan Ingersoll Rooney, PC; Florida Power & Light; Becker & Poliakoff, Berger Singerman, PA; Birnbaum, Lippman, Gregoire, PLLC; Fiske and Co.; Ginsberg Shulman, PL; Jesse Diner and Adele Stone; JM Family Enterprises, Inc.; Kelley Kronenberg, Attorneys at Law; Kim Vaughan Lerner, LLP; Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, LLC; Setnor Byer Insurance & Risk; Transworld Business Advisors; Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman; BoardroomPR; Akerman LLC; Coral Gables Trust Company and Sharpe Project Development, Inc.
Annual sponsors support Legal Aid Service of Broward County and Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida throughout the year. The 2018 annual sponsors include Birnbaum, Lippman & Gregoire, PLLC; Florida Power & Light; JM Family Enterprises; Kelley Kronenberg, Attorneys at Law; Kim Vaughan Lerner LLP; Valley National Bank and Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman.
For more information about the work of Coast of Coast Legal Aid of South Florida or Legal Aid Service of Broward County visit www.legalaid.org.
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Legal Aid Service of Broward County is a not-for-profit law firm established in 1973. The mission is to provide high quality free civil legal advice, representation and education to the poor of Broward County so as to improve the lifestyle and living conditions of the low-income community and to encourage self-sufficiency.
Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida is a not-for-profit law firm established in 2003 and funded, in part, by the Legal Services Corporation. The mission is to improve the lives of low income persons in our community through advocacy, education, representation and empowerment.
Legal Aid Service of Broward County (LAS) and Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida (CCLA) are 501(c)(3) corporations registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer services (LAS #SC-02337 and CCLA #CH19226). All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free 1-800-435-7352 within the state OR VISITING WWW.FRESHFROMFLORIDA.COM. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by the State.