An Orlando organization is partnering with legal experts to help an under-served community.

  • Orlando Serve Foundation offers legal help
  • On Saturday they will offer help to Caribbean-American community
  • For immigrants, a small infraction can lead to deportation

Volunteers are liberating residents in Orange and Osceola counties through the restoration of rights.

"The ability to get a fresh start," said attorney Beatrice Brown, who is the volunteer Legal Services Coordinator for the Orlando Serve Foundation.

Brown is volunteering her legal expertise to help residents restore overlooked rights, like having a valid driver's license.

"You want your name to be off all the list. You don't want to owe anything," Brown explained. "If someone owes money, it's just something, just always kind of hanging back there in their mind. You don't have the kind of freedom, you don't have as much maybe hope as you would have."

On Saturday afternoon at Orlando Fashion Square Mall, the Orlando Serve Foundation will provide legal help to members of the local Caribbean-American community.

For some Caribbean immigrants, the seemingly small infraction of driving without a valid driver's license can lead to deportation.

"If you have a situation where you do have stuff like expired driver's license, driver's license that is suspended, you have to understand that once you do that, you drive with that kind of situation, you are going to be exposed to being detained by local law enforcement, and in turn be detained by the Immigration," said attorney Wayne Golding, who specializes in immigration law.

That's why Golding, who prides himself on his community activism, is imploring immigrants with green cards to pursue permanent citizenship.

"These can be mothers, fathers, doctors, lawyers, pastors who just don't have the proper immigration status and they get caught up in the net," Golding added.

In a world of uncertainty, even something as simple as presenting alternative ways to pay outstanding court costs, can lead to a host of new possibilities.

"You see peoples lives get changed and all it took is a little time from me to help to make that possible," Brown said.

So far this year, the Orlando Serve Foundation has helped dozens of people resolve about $400,000 in court costs through payment plans or community service.