JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Attorney Michael Freed decided the way to get attention for his cause was to run all the way from Tallahassee to Jacksonville.
So that’s what he did. Freed laced up his running shoes and hit the pavement.
The pro-bono attorney just made it back to Jacksonville, where he lives, after running the equivalent of six marathons in six days. He started at the Supreme Court building in Tallahassee.
Freed did it to raise money for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.
“Every day we started at a new courthouse and met with the judges and the lawyers in the community (and) met with folks and talked about the need,” he said.
The cause deserves more attention, said Kathy Para, the director of pro bono services for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.
“I see the impact of the lack of representation every day,” Para said. “(I see the impact) with families that are caught in domestic violence situations, whose homes have been wrongly foreclosed (and) whose benefits may have been denied.”
Freed hopes he can keep the movement going and inspire others.
“This is just one person, one family trying to move the needle on an issue,” Freed said. “And hopefully, inspiring other people to do the same.”
Freed hoped to raise $50,000 for JALA. He's already raised nearly $54,000.
Click here to learn more about the cause or donate.