The Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas Gives Hope to Victims

May 2009 – Mosaic Family Services received a $5,000 grant from The Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas to assist with program expenses for the Multicultural Legal Services Program, which addresses the needs of survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking from a holistic, global perspective, giving them the support they deserve to lead empowered, self-sufficient lives. Legal services are a fundamental step for victims becoming safe and self-sufficient. Our attorneys provide comprehensive legal services in the areas of immigration and family law for immigrant victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.

The Section is comprised of nearly nine thousand members from all parts of the State and all sides of the Bar. The Section is a neutral organization comprised of plaintiff attorneys, defense attorneys, judges, mediators / arbitrators, pro bono attorneys and law students who are dedicated to improving our justice system and the quality of legal services delivered to Texans. The Section is actively involved in a number and variety of pro bono and educational programs.

The following story is from one of the clients served by the legal program at MFS:
“Jana’s Story”: Jana came to Mosaic Family Services in dire need of legal assistance. Her husband had filed for divorce and was seeking custody of their three children. Jana’s husband had been terribly abusive to her throughout their marriage. Jana had no legal status in the United States, she was completely undocumented. She was terrified that her husband was not only going to take their three children away from her, but that he would also have her deported to her home country. Jana’s husband had brought her to the United States twelve years ago through an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative. However, once in the U.S. her husband refused to follow through with completing the petition, thus leaving Jana at his mercy, with no legal status.

Jana’s biggest concerns were retaining custody of her children and gaining legal residence in the U.S. Jana was a very intelligent and compassionate woman; however, the years of abuse had worn her down and she was almost defeated before we even started the fight. With the help of Mosaic’s services, including counseling, Jana was able to slowly regain her strength and confidence. In the meantime the legal department got underway in pursuing her legal case by challenging her husband’s petition for divorce and child custody, and submitting her immigration case. After approximately one year, our office was successful in both endeavors. Jana’s divorce was finalized and she retained sole custody of her children. Additionally Jana’s immigration petition was approved, and she was also given work authorization. Jana is now living on her own, working full time, and planning to attend community college this fall to become a paralegal.

For more information on the Litigation Section, please visit their website at http://www.litigationsection.com.

The Texas Bar Foundation Supports Multicultural Legal Services

Mosaic Family Services, Inc. recently received a $20,000 grant for the Multicultural Legal Services Program from the Texas Bar Foundation. This generous grant will provide a part-time Pro Bono Program Coordinator for the program. The Coordinator will establish and maintain relationships with private attorneys in the community, who will provide pro bono services for those clients who our program is unable to immediately serve due to a waiting list. Mosaic will be able to serve many additional victims and their families with a strong Pro Bono attorney program.

Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $9 million in grants to law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation’s largest charitably-funded bar foundation.

Mosaic Family Services Multicultural Legal Services Program employs three full-time attorneys who specialize in immigration and family law. Staff attorneys assist clients with all aspects of their immigration experience, as well as provide legal support for divorce, child-custody, protective orders, and other important family law issues as they pertain to domestic violence.

For more information on the Texas Bar Foundation, please visit their website at http://www.txbf.org/

The Communities Foundation of Texas Grants New Appliances, Furniture to Mosaic House

May 2009 – The Sammons Fund of the Communities Foundation of Texas awarded Mosaic Family Services with $20,450 to support our shelter Mosaic House. This generous grant will be used to will be used to purchase new appliances and furniture for the shelter. Residents of Mosaic House will be able to enjoy new refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, and couches.

Dr. Jody Grant, CFT Board Chair; Dr. Walter Nguyen, MFS Executive Director, and Brent Christopher, CFT's President and CEO

Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) has been a partner with donors for raising the quality of life in our community for more than 50 years. Communities Foundation of Texas is now one of the nation's largest community foundations, in terms of total assets, gifts received and grants awarded. The Sammons Fund, which provided us with our grant, is one of the many funds managed by CFT.

This spring, through its most recent round of discretionary grants to 27 area nonprofit community organizations, CFT awarded its billionth dollar since its inception in 1953. Mosaic Family Services staff attended the $1 billion awards ceremony on May 6, 2009.

For more information on CFT, please visit their website here.

The TJX Foundation Continues to Support Mosaic House

March 2009 -- The TJX Companies, Inc. and The TJX Foundation, Inc. donated $5,000 to Mosaic House for the fourth year in a row. This generous grant will provide program and operating support for our multicultural shelter.

The TJX Foundation supports programs that promote sound mental and physical health, provide shelter, enhance education and job readiness, and build community ties. The mission of the foundation is to contribute to programs that help disadvantaged women, children and families in communities in which the TJX Companies, Inc. do business. The TJX Companies include TJ Maxx (http://www.tjmaxx.com) and Marshall’s (http://www.marshallsonline.com).

For more information on The TJX Foundation, please visit their website here.

Thank You Commercial Metals!

A volunteer group from Commercial Metals came to the Mosaic House shelter on February 24, 2009 to paint one of the units.

Thank you to Commercial Metals for supporting Mosaic House!

Mosaic Receives ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program Intern

In January of 2008, Mosaic Family Services was awarded the prestigious ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program Internship. With the administrative assistance of the Volunteer Center of North Texas, ExxonMobil provides $2,750 grants to 75 local nonprofit agencies to hire summer college interns to assist in providing essential services to the community. Interns in this program are current undergraduate students from local universities.

Our internship, which will take place during Summer 2009, focuses on providing American Culture education to the multicultural clients served by the agency. The intern will Coordinate, schedule, and teach basic American Culture education to clients of Mosaic House, a shelter for immigrant and refugee women and children survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, who are new to the country. The intern will also Coordinate and facilitate American Culture field trips to give clients first-hand knowledge of the public experience.

For more information about the ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program, please click here.

The Carrie S. Orleans Trust Provides Food and Clothing for Mosaic Clients

December 2008 – Mosaic Family Services received a $2,000 grant from the Carrie S. Orleans Trust. The Carrie S. Orleans Trust was established to purchase food and clothing for distribution to the poor and needy of Dallas County, Texas, without regard to race, creed or color. This is the third grant that Mosaic Family Services has received from the trust.

Funding from the Carrie S. Orleans Trust will help us to meet the growing food costs at Mosaic House shelter, which has served a growing number of clients each year. The funds will be used to purchase fresh meats and produce, after-school snacks for the children and additional school uniforms for the children. Funds will also be used to support victims of human trafficking, who often arrive at Mosaic Family Services’ door with nothing. Funds may also be used to purchase $25 food vouchers for clients served by the HIV Early Intervention Program. This program serves individuals who have an HIV/AIDS diagnosis, and have a history of substance abuse issues. Many clients are homeless and all are below the poverty level.

Thank you to the Carrie S. Orleans Trust!