Donna Adelsberger
A Volunteer Child Advocate

Donna Adelsberger is founder of Donna Adelsberger & Associates, P.C.

Donna worked with this young mother throughout the year and helped her find a new place to live. When the judge wanted to close the case, Donna requested to keep it open for another few months to ensure that this mom had the support she needed to be successful.

Donna still brings this level of commitment to Child Advocates today.

“Almost everyone knows that I am a child advocate,” she said. “What I am proud of most is my work on kids’ behalf.”

Donna pursued her undergraduate degree in sociology at Temple University when she was 25. She was a part-time student, attending classes while she worked and raised her two children. It was difficult to “do it all,” but she met a group of women at school who kept her going. Upon graduation, the group decided to apply to law school. They were all accepted at Temple University School of Law and still remain close friends.

It was at law school that Donna met her husband, David Trevaskis, who also volunteers with Child Advocates. Dave proposed to her at their graduation in front of 4,500 people! Her 10-year-old daughter had managed to keep it a secret.

“David was such an unexpected and enormously welcome addition to my life,” she said.

Her start with Child Advocates happened much the same way. In 1988, she was working as a first year attorney when a colleague who volunteered for Child Advocates suggested that she get involved. She attended the Volunteer Attorney training and the rest, as they say, is history.

Donna is a devoted volunteer who tackles tough cases. Her experience as a mother provides a wealth of knowledge.

“I usually ask for teenage clients,” she said. “I’ve seen it all. I’ve raised teens.”

She has worked tirelessly during her tenure and always tries to instill a sense of responsibility in the children she helps. They, in turn, have shown their appreciation.

One young girl had been abused by her mother’s boyfriend, and suffered from a restlessness that kept her on the move and in trouble as she grew up. She had relatives living in Puerto Rico, so Donna bought her a plane ticket and drove her to the Newark airport, knowing that this young girl needed to live with a supportive family network. She returned to the U.S. at age 18 with her own child. Donna and her husband became the baby’s godparents and later helped to coordinate this former client's wedding. Today, this young woman lives with her new family on the West Coast and is doing well.

Although her dedication and advocacy deserve our deepest thanks, Donna does not seek accolades.

“I get more out of it than my clients do,” she reflects. “If I have helped these kids in any way, they have helped me a hundred times more.”

Donna runs her own firm, Donna Adelsberger & Associates P.C., in a beautifully renovated building in Glenside, Pa. She specializes in insurance defense litigation and offers her attorneys the option to perform 50 hours of pro bono work a year, which count as billable hours for them.

“If everyone took one case, we could offer these kids real opportunities for brighter futures,” she said.

When Donna isn’t at the office, or volunteering with Child Advocates or the Montgomery County Child Advocacy Project, she is running her local Rotary Club or working in her garden.

“My garden is always a work in progress,” she said. “I really like getting my hands dirty.”

She also loves housework – though not the kind one might typically expect. Donna and her husband completed many of the renovations in the building where her firm is located. She loves carpentry and boasts of having her own jack hammer. She even recently tested her hand at some minor electrical repairs.

“I missed my calling,” she joked.

Donna shows the true spirit of a Volunteer Attorney, and she hopes that others will join her.

“I am very fortunate and I invite others who are just as lucky as me to share their resources with our kids,” she said.

If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer Attorney or need more information, please contact Jodi E. Schatz, Esquire, Pro Bono Coordinator & Intake Attorney, at jschatz@advokid.org or (267) 546-9228.