Anne See, the Elderly Services Paralegal at Blue Ridge Legal Services, was honored on April 24th at the annual Elder Rights and Guardianship Conference in Charlottesville when she was awarded the 2007 Elder Rights Award by the Virginia Elder Rights Coalition. This award is conferred each year upon an outstanding elder rights advocate in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The award was presented by Erica F. Wood, of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Law and Aging.

Past recipients include Thelma Bland, former commissioner of the Virginia Department for the Aging; state senator Joseph Gartlan; journalist Betty Booker; and former Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Services Jane Woods, among others.

Since 1989, Ms. See has served as the elderly services paralegal in the Harrisonburg office of Blue Ridge Legal Services, the nonprofit legal aid society for the Shenandoah and Roanoke valleys. From 1979 until 1989, she was a paralegal caseworker for Valley Program for Aging Services. She graduated from James Madison University in 1974 with a BS in Social Work. Following her graduation she served as director of several senior centers in Rockingham County. She was the 1994 recipient of the JMU Department of Social Work’s Alumnus of the Year award.

When presenting the award, the ABA’s Erica Woods reviewed Ms. See’s accomplishments, including:

• Was instrumental in the creation of a toll-free adult abuse reporting hotline in Virginia;
• Organized the Friends and Relatives of Nursing Home Residents citizens advocacy group in Harrisonburg in 1990;
• Her advocacy led to the reorganization of the Ombudsman Program which led to the development of local ombudsmen in every area of the Commonwealth, as well as changes in state law protecting the rights of nursing home residents;
• Was invited to testify before the US Senate Select Committee on Aging in 1995 in support of continuing the federal Nursing Home Reform Act and appeared in CNN’s coverage of the proceedings;
• Has handled numerous administrative law hearings that have resulted in revisions to federal and state policy manuals;
• Has helped 3 localities start local TRIAD programs; and
• Helped organize the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Representative Payee program in the early 1980’s.

According to John Whitfield, Blue Ridge Legal Services’ executive director, Ms. See “has been the heart and soul of BRLS’ advocacy on behalf of the elderly for the last 28 years. She has achieved truly amazing results for hundreds of clients over the years, cases that will never get reported in any legal periodical but which were life-saving for the clients involved.”

Jill Hankin, staff attorney for the Virginia Poverty Law Center in Richmond had this to say in support of the award: “What distinguishes Anne is her depth of knowledge, her compassion for and dedication to her clients, her attention to detail, and her stubborn determination to get mistakes corrected. She engages with her clients in a very personal way, showing genuine respect for them as individuals and supporting their independence whenever possible.  Her efforts and successes over the past 25+ years demonstrate her passion for hard work and the clients she serves.” 

The Virginia Elder Rights Coalition (VERC) is a network of organizations, agencies, and individuals working together to promote the rights and autonomy of older Virginians.