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2011 Outreach Summaries › Attorney, Firm Building Goodwill, Homes In Mexico
Attorney, Firm Building Goodwill, Homes In Mexico
Summary Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Written By: Patrick Norris
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| Damasio Esquivel Hernandez, left, demonstrates his
appreciation for Steve Earp and his Smith Moore Leatherwood
colleagues, with a hand-made gift. |
For Steve Earp, retiring managing partner at Smith Moore
Leatherwood's office in Greensboro, building houses for needy
families in Mexico isn't just charitable work. It is his
passion.
Over the past 13 years, Earp, in conjunction with Constructores
Para Cristo (Contractors for Christ), has made multiple trips to
Piedras Negras, Mexico, and has helped build about 20 houses in
all, including at least one each year since 1998.
"I was a classic back row Presbyterian before I was handed a
brochure for the program," Earp said. "Something about it caused me
to say 'this is what I want to do.' I made my first trip in 1998
and it had such a profound impact on me that I haven't
stopped."
Earp has become close with many of the families that he has
built homes for. He stays in contact with most of them via social
media, and has photos in his office of the families.
"You get so close to them in just a few days," Earp said. "If
you can imagine what it is like to live down there because some of
these families are living in cars. The families have a new home in
just four and a half days and you are celebrating by having a meal
with them in their new home. During the course of that week you
just get very close to the families."
Earp has seen first hand how having a home can change the course
of the lives of the families. One family in particular has a son
and daughter who are No. 1 in their class and plan on attending the
university, making them the first in their family to attend
college.
"I went back recently to visit a family that I had helped build
a house for in 2000," Earp said. "I saw all of these family photos
on the fridge and I was on their, as well. They told me, 'Of course
you are on there, you are el tio Steve.' That means 'uncle Steve.'
The kids still call me el tio Steve."
Aware of his love of the project, Smith Moore Leatherwood had a
surprise planned to honor Earp.
"The firm put on a party of sorts in celebration of me coming to
the end of my term as managing partner," Earp said. "What I didn't
know is that they had planned a special gift for me."
Earp's gift was an easy decision for the firm's management
committee.
"The firm wanted to do something significant for him," said
partner and NCBA Past President Clark Smith. "The management
committee knew of his passion for this project. What the committee
decided to do was raise enough money within the firm to build a
house in Mexico and to also finance Steve's trip to be on the team.
We also encouraged lawyers and staff to be on the teams and travel
to build the house."
Nine attorneys and staff from the firm joined a handful of
Earp's friends and his daughter on the trip in October 2010. The
law firm was represented by Rick Ellis, Mike Kelly, Larry Myers,
Skip Long, Doug Walker, Julie Theall, Earp and Smith.
The house was for a young couple, Damasio Esquivel Hernandez and
his pregnant wife, Claudio Esparaza Alanis. The couple had their
child, Cristian, in February, and were able to start a family in
their new house because of the generosity of the Smith Moore
Leatherwood team and Steve Earp.
"I don't know how these things work out but sometimes you really
connect with the families that you build with and this was one of
those families," Earp said. "This one really touched my heart."
Do you know of an attorney or law firm that has been active in the community or has made significant charitable contributions? The outreach section of the NCBA website is designed to highlight these efforts. Contact Amber Smith, Assistant Director of Communications for Community Outreach and Social Media for the NCBA, at asmith@ncbar.org.