HARRISBURG (Nov. 30, 2006) � Philadelphia lawyer Karen Detamore has received an Everyday Leader Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA). Detamore has been the executive director of the Friends of Farmworkers for 17 years.

�Karen has dedicated much of her professional life to improving the living and working conditions of indigent farmworkers, mushroom workers, food processing workers, and workers from immigrant and migrant communities in Pennsylvania,� said Andrew F. Susko of Philadelphia, president-elect, Pennsylvania Bar Association, who joined other PBA officers in presenting the award to Detamore during a reception at the Philadelphia Marriott. �When Karen sees a need, she steps forward and invests considerable skills to be part of the solution.�

�Countless families have benefited from Karen�s tireless work in the community and from her voluntary efforts on behalf of the legal profession,� said Thomas G. Wilkinson Jr. of Philadelphia, member, PBA Board of Governors. �We�re proud to shine the spotlight on this �unsung hero.��

Prior to her work with the Friends of Farmworkers, Detamore was in private practice, serving primarily military service members and veterans.

Detamore has served as president of the Pennsylvania Project Directors Corporation, the association of executive directors of all Pennsylvania legal services programs for low-income clients. She is past president of the Farmworker Project Group, a national association of farmworker legal services directors. She is a current member of the Philadelphia Bar Association�s Board of Governors and co-chair of the Committee on the Legal Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

She has been a member of the PBA�s Agricultural Law Committee, Civil Rights Committee, Legal Services to the Public Committee and many others.

In addition, she is a member of the Brehon Law Society, Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania and National Legal Aid and Defender Association.

�The Everyday Leader Award is given to individuals who go above and beyond, sharing their time and talent to help and support others,� said Kenneth J. Horoho Jr., president of the PBA. �These individuals work hard each and every day performing good works, not for personal gain or recognition, but for the right reasons�to improve the places they call home and to better Pennsylvania�s legal system. Karen Detamore is one of these �everyday leaders� and is deserving of this award in gratitude for her contributions to Philadelphia and the entire commonwealth.�

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association exists to promote justice, professional excellence and respect of the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 29,000 lawyers who are members of the association.