Donna's Place is where the young clients of the Child Advocacy Unit in Baltimore come when visiting their attorneys. Located in the lobby on the third floor of Legal Aid's downtown Baltimore office, Donna's Place provides foster children with toys, computers, books, puzzles, paper and crayons and other things to help them relax and learn.

Donna's Place activities:

• Holiday Giving - In 2002, the Holiday Giving Program was developed to provide food baskets for needy families. Since then it has grown into a carefully orchestrated effort to provide individualized gifts to abused and neglected children in need. In 2008, more than 131 children received holiday gifts. Each year, attorneys and paralegals identify children who are with caregivers where there is no money to celebrate the holidays. The staff of the Child Advocacy Unit has, in the past eight years sponsored hundreds of children to provide them with a memorable holiday. You can support the Holiday Giving Program by donating below.
• Summer Literacy - This program started in 2000 to promote literacy in children, kindergarten through third grade. Special days are also set aside for teenagers. Each summer more than 100 children are served. The program is funded in part by the DeVito Family Trust and Baltimore Reads. For six to eight weeks in the summer, staff volunteer to read to children three mornings each week and create a craft project.
  
• Teen Success - Started in 2000, Teen Success Day is a group enrichment activity for teens in out-of-home care. This program is held annually in Donna's Place during spring break and serves approximately 70 children. The goal of this program is to prepare young people for independence through knowledge of careers, educational options, and finances.
  
• Halloween - In 2001, the Child Advocacy Unit began offering trick-or-treating in its offices in downtown Baltimore. Child clients dress up in Halloween costumes and trick-or-treat from door to door in a safe place. The staff decorates the hallways and dress up to greet the children. After trick-or-treating, the children are given goody bags containing books and other small gifts.
  
• Client Emergency Fund - Donna's Place also provides a small emergency fund for abused and neglected child clients when all other resources have been exhausted. One example is a young man who needed to purchas school supplies for summer school before could attend college. On another occasion, the funds were used to provide a special present to a client--an attorney took pictures and created a photo album of the client's adoption.
  

Donations to Donna's Place are greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a donation, write a check payable to: Legal Aid Bureau Inc. and write "Donna's Place" in the memo line. Mail the check to Legal Aid, 500 E. Lexington St., Baltimore, MD 21202, Attn: Joan Little. Or use a credit card to donate securely online (below). Note: All funds received by Maryland Legal Aid are spent in accordance with regulations of the Legal Services Corporation Act, set forth at 45 CFR § 1600 et. seq.    All contributions are tax deductible.


Donna Burton

As a children's advocate at Maryland Legal Aid for 10 years, Donna devoted herself to improving the lives of children. Donna had the unique ability to turn the most difficult challenges into triumphs. Donna's devotion to her work was surpassed only by the friendships she gave to all who worked with her. Donna's Place is named in her honor.