The New Hampshire legal aid community is thrilled to welcome Linda Purdy as the new outreach coordinator for 603 Legal Aid.
As outreach coordinator, Purdy will be responsible for developing, supporting, and executing outreach project initiatives in several local and statewide communities including faith-based organizations and multicultural activities. Purdy credits her passion for equal access to justice as a driving motivator in applying for this role.
“I have watched families implode due to not having access to services that were available to them,” she said. “They just either did not know where to go or simply did not ask for help. I feel like every day I have the opportunity to change lives simply by leveling the playing field. If I put all the best things about my career and created a job description, I would have produced the Outreach Coordinator for 603 Legal Aid!”
According to Purdy, outreach is the foundation for any community project looking to advance social change.
“It’s how we get information to the people,” she explained. “Some of the most marginalized communities are very closed off to the outside world. It takes careful nurturing and repeated engagement to break through the barriers and earn peoples’ trust.”
“Those most in need are often least able to access available benefits, and this project aims to achieve greater equity in benefit distribution by targeting hard-to-reach populations by geographic area and racial, ethnic, and linguistic identity,” said 603 Legal Aid interim executive director Steve Scudder. “Linda will be a key figure in increasing awareness in low-income communities about the wide range of civil legal services 603 Legal Aid can provide.”
So far, Purdy has been getting to know the rest of the staff at 603 Legal Aid and learning what has been done so far in terms of outreach efforts. She looks forward to laying the groundwork with her new colleagues on future outreach projects.
Purdy lives in Manchester, but she feels most at her off-the-grid property in Fitzwilliam. She enjoys spending time outside with her dog, AJ, and indulging her passion for powersports with her two “girls,” Emma and Ginger.
“They are my motorcycles and I love them very much!”
