Kaufman Award Winners
The 2010 Kaufman Award recipient was Charles B. Rogers of Parkersburg. Law was Chuck’s career for later in life. He worked for law firms, the BCSE and as a Baltimore public defender. A legal aid lawyer from 2003 to 2009, Chuck specialized in public benefits work, housing and consumer cases. Chuck volunteered for Legal Aid of West Virginia after retirement, focusing primarily on benefits cases. His special interest in children led him to pursue hearings on denials of wheelchairs to challenged youngsters who had outgrown their chairs. Two of his cases are on appeal. Chuck donated over 300 hours to the Parkersburg Office during 2010, answering phones, giving advice and working on cases. His own experience with poverty in childhood gave him empathy and understanding for Legal Aid clients, or as he tells clients, “Yes, I have relatives who did that, too.” Chuck set a local record for thank-yous from clients.
The recipient of the 2009 Kaufman Award was Mr. John R. Lukens of Charleston. Mr. Lukens contributed over 200 hours of pro bono service to Legal Aid of West Virginia clients in 2009 while volunteering with the Access to Legal Aid Services program in the Charleston office and serving more than 370 clients. Mr. Lukens always wanted to help those less fortunate than himself, and after spending almost 40 years in private practice, he found his way to Legal Aid. He has been volunteering since 2007 and now spends at least four days a week providing advice on family, consumer and property issues. “I wanted to spend the rest of my working years helping people in financial and emotional distress. And also to learn new areas of the law,” John says. About his transition from his corporate practice to serving Legal Aid’s clients, John said, “The first few months were pretty tough. I was out of my comfort zone and it was hard for me to ask for help. But in time I learned, and I’m still learning, which is part of the fun.”
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