Harvesters of Hope

09/21/2026

Executive Director Tom Heflin recently spoke at the National Conference of Bar Foundations Annual Meeting, hosted by The Alabama Law Foundation. The conference brought NCBF members together for three days of education, collaboration, networking, and fellowship in Montgomery. Tom spoke about the history of Harvesters of Hope, shared the ways we are making a difference in Alabama's underserved communities, and discussed the benefits and incentives helping bring passionate attorneys to these areas that need them most.

Thank you to The Alabama Law Foundation for inviting Tom to speak to bar foundation leaders from around the country and for your constant support of Harvesters of Hope.

09/17/2026

Harvesters of Hope was honored to participate in the Alabama Power Foundation’s 2026 Elevate Conference, an insightful event dedicated to enhancing the strategic impact and capacity of nonprofit organizations. As the state’s largest charitable foundation, the Alabama Power Foundation has invested over $300 million into Alabama communities since its inception, and Harvesters of Hope is deeply grateful to be a 2025 grant recipient.

Pictured here are Tom Heflin, Executive Director of Harvesters of Hope, alongside Margaret Morton, representing Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enrichment (SAFE) and Sylacauga's East Alabama Rural Training and Innovation Hub (EARTH). Harvesters of Hope is proud to collaborate with SAFE and EARTH to address and eliminate legal deserts across East Alabama. Through these joint initiatives, economic revitalization and expanded access to services are on the immediate horizon. We extend our appreciation to Margaret Morton for her leadership and dedication, and to Harvesters of Hope attorney Cole Zirbel, who established his law practice in Sylacauga in 2026 to further strengthen these community efforts.

09/01/2026

Faulkner University's Thomas Goode Jones School of Law will host a Career Fair on Friday, October 23 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Hiring legal employers are invited to attend the Career Fair to meet and talk with law students who could fill your open positions. If you would like to attend, please click the registration link below. Registration is free. Please register by October 14. If you would like additional information, please contact Bryan E. Morgan, Director of Career Development, at (334) 386-7905 or [email protected].

Registration Link: https://law-faulkner-csm.symplicity.com/events/2026CareerFair/

08/28/2026

Harvesters of Hope is officially 1 year old!

Every harvest starts with a single seed, but it takes a community to help it grow. Thank you for believing in our vision and sowing hope into the lives of many. Here’s to many more years of growing together!

👇 How to help us celebrate today:
1️⃣ Drop a "Happy 1st Anniversary" in the comments!

2️⃣ Share this post to spread the word.

3️⃣ Consider making a $365 ($1 for every day of impact) (or any amount you choose!) anniversary gift at https://www.harvestersofhope.org/support-us.

08/27/2026

Harvesters of Hope would like to give a huge thank you to Roanoke, Alabama attorney Kesa M. Johnston, who graciously provided complimentary 2-day training to several of our participants. Through her program Small Town Solo, she has developed a comprehensive curriculum covering every stage of starting and running a small-town solo practice, from pre-launch planning to operations, marketing, hiring, client experience, and long-term sustainability. Small Town Solo offers these and other courses, a weekly Substack, and soon will have a podcast geared to encouraging attorneys to practice in legal deserts and to help them with the tools they need to succeed. Our Harvesters of Hope participants found her training tremendously valuable and are extremely grateful for her sharing her expertise. Thank you, Kesa!

“I am honored to have the opportunity to share my extensive Small Town Solo course with the Harvesters of Hope participants. Teaching in person helped me realize just how valuable this work is. Small towns need lawyers, and lawyers need mentorship and information to navigate the landscape. Harvesters of Hope is providing those tools.” -Kesa M. Johnston, https://soloish.substack.com/

08/26/2026

Listen in to Executive Director Tom Heflin's interview with Public News Service, an independent network of state-based news services. Their goals are to support an informed and engaged public, support local media ecosystems, and tell the stories of people doing public interest work in communities across the country. Thank you for highlighting how Harvesters of Hope is helping Alabamians.

By Ralph Chapoco for the Alabama Reflector.Broadcast version by Trimmel Gomes for Alabama News Service reporting for the Alabama Reflector-Public News Service Collaboration Large swaths of Alabama lack a sufficient

08/17/2026

Happy National Nonprofit Day! Today we are reflecting on the strong partnerships that make our work possible. Thank you for standing with us as we serve Alabama.

How you can celebrate with us today:
1️⃣ Share this post to spread awareness for our mission
2️⃣ Tag a friend or volunteer who inspires you
3️⃣ Support our work at www.harvestersofhope.org

08/03/2026

Harvesters of Hope hosted a panel session at the Alabama State Bar Annual Meeting, highlighting our ongoing initiatives and the progress of our program participants.

We were able to feature three of our participants who shared updates on the launch and growth of their new law practices: Diana Wilson joined us in person, and Nic Cavender and Dylan Cooper participated via Zoom. The panel was moderated by Board President Allison Skinner, with Board Members Tom Perry, Tom Heflin, and Jerome Thompson also participating as distinguished guests.

Thank you, Alabama State Bar, for the opportunity to share our organization's current impact and the achievements of our program participants!

08/03/2026

Harvesters of Hope received ACLEA's 2026 Steven Leleiko Memorial Award for Professional Excellence in Public Interest at the ACLEA Annual Meeting in Boston.

The award recognizes the impactful program, “From 'Legal Deserts' to 'Opportunity Zones,'" and its commitment to expanding access to justice in underserved communities.

Thank you, ACLEA, for this honor!

07/21/2026