On May 13, Trinity Law School, of Trinity International University, conferred the degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa upon Jim Palmer. This amazing honor comes in perfect timing with his 25th anniversary as President of Orange County Rescue Mission. Over the past 25 years, he has lead this ministry, and has seen God bring healing, restoration and self-sufficiency to so many.
Dean Halvorson shared the following statement of recognition: “James Edwin Palmer III has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to Christian service through his dedication to Orange County’s homeless population. He has provided exemplary leadership as President of the Orange County Rescue Mission, Orange County’s largest non-profit, faith-based organization. He is respected as an innovator for his entrepreneurial approach to rehabilitation and is widely known as an expert on issues affecting the homeless. As President of the Orange County Rescue Mission, James Palmer established many ministries including the Village of Hope, Hurtt Family Health Clinics, the Double R Ranch, and the Corona Norco Rescue Mission. He pioneered mobile care services for the homeless which included the establishment of Trinity Law School’s Mobile Legal Clinic. In 2007, he became the first person in the United States to serve in three levels of government simultaneously as Tustin City Council member, Commissioner for the Orange County Housing and Community Development Commission, and Presidential Appointee to the Board for the Corporation for National and Community Services. He has been honored for his work by multiple individuals and organizations including President George H.W. Bush, President George W. Bush, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California State Senate, and the California State Assembly. James Palmer is a friend of and ambassador for Trinity Law School and Trinity International University. Be it therefore resolved that the Administration, Faculty, and Board of Regents at Trinity International University are pleased to recognize and honor James Edwin Palmer III with the Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) on this 13th day of May, 2017.”
Inherent to the growth of the Rescue Mission’s reach has been the vital partnerships with organizations that have the same convictions to serve the Least, the Last and the Lost. One such partnership is with Trinity Law School of Trinity International University.
Trinity Law School has honored our leader; we would now like to take a moment to honor and recognize their amazing work. Through our unique partnership with Trinity, the Village of Hope is home to an on-site legal clinic that serves each of our residents. In addition to the on-site clinic, there is also a mobile Law Clinic that travels to highly populated and marginalized areas of Orange County to offer legal services. Since its opening in 2009, the Trinity Law School Legal Clinic has helped over 1,095 people become free of the mistakes of their past and move forward into a self-sufficiency.
We are so thankful for the friends like Trinity International University, who have shared in this ministry. Because of Trinity’s heart for the Least, the Last, and the Lost, and the desire to share their talents and skills, hundreds of people are being freed from their past and seeing hope for their future. The legacy of lives changed is staggering. We have witnessed the tears of mothers and fathers as they are reunited with their children, we have witnessed prosecutors that have dropped charges and judges have expunged criminal records. All of this would not be possible without Trinity Law School.
Thank you, Trinity International University, for honoring Jim Palmer, and for the invaluable role you play here at the Rescue Mission. We look forward to many more years of serving our community together!
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