Catholic Charities USA Names David Cleveland of Washington, DC, 2004 National Volunteer of the Year

April 19, 2004 - 12:00 PDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alexandria, VA--Catholic Charities USA has named immigration attorney David Cleveland of Washington, DC, its 2004 National Volunteer of the Year for his dedication and service to hundreds of individuals who have fled persecution in their home countries. As a volunteer, Cleveland provides full-time legal representation to low-income, foreign-born clients of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington's Immigration Legal Services (ILS) who are seeking asylum here in the United States.

"Dave is an example to us all and a true good Samaritan, using his own talents and resources to assist people who have been mistreated in their journey through life," said Thomas A. DeStefano, president of Catholic Charities USA.

Catholic Charities USA's 2004 National Volunteer of the Year Award annually recognizes the important contributions of 275,000 volunteers who provide millions of hours of service to Catholic Charities agencies each year and who are the backbone of the Catholic Charities movement.

Cleveland helps asylees like Katya, who at 19 years old fled her native Belarus for fear that her government would continue to torture and ultimately kill her for protesting against the dictator who ruled her country. On several occasions, Katya had been arrested, beaten, and detained; and in April 2001, while protesting, she was arrested, imprisoned, and raped.

"It is a great feeling to win asylum for someone," said Cleveland. "That person can now live legally in the United States for his or her entire life."

Since 1998, the 54-year-old attorney has been volunteering full-time with Immigration Legal Services.. His clients have fled repressive regimes in countries such as Burma, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Sudan. They are seeking a safe haven and a better life in the United States. Most are trying to escape religious, ethnic, or political persecution.

"Dave is an excellent trial attorney. He works very hard for the clients he serves, whether he's representing them at the asylum office, in removal proceedings before an immigration judge, or at appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals," said Jeanne Atkinson, program director for Immigration Legal Services. "These are the types of cases that many attorneys do not wish to do or cannot afford to do because they are so time-consuming. Without Dave's assistance, many of these clients would have been unrepresented in a forum where their chances of success are very limited."

The ILS program was established in 1986 to provide professional legal services to the growing foreign-born population of Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC. Today, the DC-metropolitan area ranks fifth in the nation for foreign-born populations.

In addition to Cleveland, the ILS staff includes three part-time and three full-time attorneys; two full-time and two part-time paralegals; and one full-time support staff person. The office serves clients from more than 130 countries, handling cases involving a full range of immigration legal services. Caseworkers prepare applications for naturalization, asylum, employment, and family-based petitions. Staff members also prepare self-petitions for victims of domestic abuse and represent individuals in removal proceedings in immigration court. In addition, Immigration Legal Services staff members conduct community outreach and trainings.

According to Atkinson, Cleveland has been a source of inspiration to staff. "When we learned that he was a volunteer and working the longest hours of everyone in the office, it reminded us all how important the work we do is and how important our clients are," she said. Until recently, most of Dave's co-workers did not know that he was a volunteer. This was at his insistence. When Cleveland was offered a full-time paying staff attorney position, he turned it down. "He thought about it and returned the next day to say that if he could offer his services without costing the Church, he would prefer to continue doing so," said Atkinson.

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When he is not providing direct legal representation to his clients, Cleveland is a very active voice in his community, working to increase awareness of Catholic Charities and Immigration Legal Services, recruiting lawyers to do pro bono immigration work, conducting free educational seminars for immigrants on legal issues, or lecturing on asylum law at Washington, DC, bar trainings. As chair of the Asylum Committee of the DC Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, he organizes monthly asylum dinners for attorneys in the Washington metropolitan area.

In addition to receiving Catholic Charities USA's 2004 National Volunteer of the Year Award, David has also been honored with the Monsignor Geno Baroni Caritas Advocacy Award, the highest award of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. The Caritas Award is presented annually to volunteers who exemplify outstanding leadership and commitment to Catholic Charities and honors an individual who has been a strong advocate for vulnerable and oppressed populations through their activities in the community over a long period of time. He received his award from Theodore Cardinal McCarrick on April 18 at a celebratory mass honoring all Catholic Charities' volunteers.

Cleveland was chosen as Catholic Charities USA's 2004 National Volunteer of the Year by a panel of representatives from other nonprofit agencies, who reviewed nominations submitted by local agencies. Those nominated exemplified the spirit and mission of Catholic Charities in reducing poverty, supporting families, and empowering communities. He will be honored at Catholic Charities USA's Annual Gathering on Sept. 25 in Denver.

Catholic Charities USA's members--more than 1,400 local agencies and institutions nationwide--provide help and create hope for more than seven million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. For more than 275 years, local Catholic Charities agencies have been providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from day care and counseling to food and housing. For more information, visit www.catholiccharitiesinfo.org

Contact

Catholic Charities USA
http://www.catholiccharitiesinfo.org
VA, US
Shelley Borysiewicz - Manager of Media Relations, 703 549-1390

Keywords

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