HARRISBURG (June 7, 1999) -- A survivor of domestic abuse, Barbara Pittman of Philadelphia was honored recently with the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Liberty Bell Award during the PBA Annual Meeting held last month in Philadelphia. This award is presented annually to a non-lawyer for outstanding community service.

�I can think of no person who is more deserving of the Liberty Bell Award than Barbara Pittman,� wrote Luci Jankowski McClure in her nomination letter. �For all her selfless work with the underserved and abused, she truly �embodies the individualism, courage, enterprise and altruistic characteristics of leaders in a free society� that is the model for our Liberty Bell Award winners.�

Certified as a domestic violence counselor, Pittman has worked for the last 15 years in a number of capacities as an advocate for battered and abused women. She volunteered for 13 years with the Women Against Abuse Project in Philadelphia and worked for five years in the 24-hour courtroom for protection from abuse orders in Philadelphia. During those five years, Pittman trained judges in issues of domestic violence, helped women complete paperwork and arranged for service of the orders.

Pittman currently is the program coordinator for Working Wardrobe for Women in Philadelphia and the co-founder of the Street Clothes Project for Men in Philadelphia. Both of these non-profit organizations run clothing drives to obtain professional business attire for women and men who are coming off welfare or are formerly homeless. Approximately 50 to 60 people, who are referred after successfully completing job training programs, are served by these organizations each day.