Sharon A. Goldsmith, a woman of hard work, devotion and passion for the client community, recently received the 2015 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Award at the Harrisburg Hilton, for her commitment to equal justice and work in supporting the client community.
“Faith moves mountains, but you have to keep pushing while you are praying. If all difficulties were known at the onset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all,“ Goldsmith said.
She attended the Community College of Allegheny County and Harty Bible School. A Pittsburgh native from Manchester, where Sharon still resides, she’s also an active member of New Zion Baptist Church in Manchester.
Goldsmith began her career as a receptionist in 1977 in the North Side office of the Neighborhood Legal Services Association; she was greeting clients both on the telephone and in person, and six months later was promoted to secretary.
In 1987 Goldsmith was promoted to executive secretary, handling a variety of secretarial and administrative office duties with great care, confidentially and professionalism. She is the sole support for NLSA’s administration and Board of Directors. She also works with NLSA’s Development Department to ensure that donations are properly recorded and acknowledged. Goldsmith assists NLSA’s volunteers and clients in attending training events. She is the point person for all Continuing Legal Education trainings for pro bono attorneys—expertly handling registration, organizing training materials and submitting accurate reports to the CLE Board.
Goldsmith works closely with and serves as an advisor to the Central Clients’ Council, facilitating training events and arranging for client travel and participation. The Central Clients’ Council is an organization of low-income clients of southwestern Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest and most continuous client groups supporting civil legal aid in the country and many of its members credit Goldsmith’s assistance is key to the vitality of this important client group.
Recognizing the significance of the client voice in expanding access to justice, Goldsmith also works very closely with project directors, attorneys and client leadership from the southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services Client Consortium to plan, schedule and coordinate the logistics of client participation in regional and statewide training events. She was asked to assist the Consortium client group when the regional council was formed nearly 20 years ago by assisting in the development of bylaws, organizing meetings and arranging speakers. To this day, she continues to provide this assistance. In 2008, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services Client Consortium honored Goldsmith with an award in recognition of her many years of work on behalf of clients.
Goldsmith’s interest in public service also shows in her work outside of NLSA. She also served on several boards and groups devoted to coming to the aid of neighbors experiencing family emergencies or economic hardships. Goldsmith truly is a credit to her client community.
“Whatever you can do or dream, you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,” Goldsmith said.
Abraham Lincoln once stated that: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.” George Washington Carver stated that: “How far you go in life depends on your being with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong; because someday in life you will have been all of these.”
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58.
These quotes describe how Goldsmith has devoted her life to be truly a credit to her community.
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