A woman who has spent almost 30 years fighting for the welfare rights of thousands of Oakland County's indigent population has been chosen as the State Bar of Michigan's 2002 winner of the Liberty Bell Award. v Marguerite Kowaleski of Farmington Hills will be presented with this honor on Friday, September 27th, at an Awards Breakfast at the Bar's 67th Annual Meeting at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids. The Liberty Bell Award is given to a nonlawyer who has made a significant contribution to the justice system.

Kowaleski has contributed her time and experience to clients at the Oakland County Welfare Rights Organization in Pontiac. She produces a monthly newsletter for potential clients and other interested parties throughout the state on current issues regarding public benefits. Kowaleski's talents and abilities have impressed many who have worked with her, but it is her passion to make the system work for her clients that they find "unmatched."

In addition to her advocacy work, Kowaleski also volunteers in other capacities throughout the Oakland County area. She has served as the chairperson of the Social Services Committee for the League of Women Voters and on the Family Independence Agency's county client advocacy board. At the state level, she has served on the Michigan Department of Social Services Client Advisory Committee, as a board member of Michigan Legal Services and on the Public Affairs Committee of the Michigan League for Human Services.