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2011 Outreach Summaries › Lawyers, Firms Serve Communities, Causes
Lawyers, Firms Serve Communities, Causes
Originally Published in March/April 2011 N.C. Lawyer
Summary Date: Friday, June 03, 2011
Written By: Patrick Norris
In this era of the 24-hour news
cycle, attorneys are not alone in their efforts to publicize
charitable endeavors and community outreach initiatives without
getting lost in the white noise of "real" news stories. With this
in mind, the North Carolina Bar Association has looked to place the
spotlight on members who generously support their communities.
The stories we received over the last few months came from
across North Carolina, and are just a small sample of the growing
number of law firms, bar associations and attorneys that showcase
the philanthropic nature of the legal profession. From toy drives
to food drives, from fundraising for breast cancer and diabetes
research, to heightening the public awareness with outreach
programs, these firms and individuals have made an impact in their
communities.
Race for a Cure
With millions worldwide being diagnosed with breast
cancer each year, the odds are you have a family member, co-worker
or friend who has been impacted by the disease. For Mike Winters,
partner at Ellis & Winters in Raleigh, and Jennifer Hutchens,
an associate at Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson in Charlotte, the
disease has affected them personally.
Winters' daughter, Kristi, gave
birth to her third son in October 2008 after battling health
problems throughout the pregnancy. Within weeks she was diagnosed
with breast cancer that had spread to her liver and bones. Four
months later she passed away, leaving behind three young children.
Her legacy not only survives through them, but through the efforts
of her father and his firm with their support of Susan G. Komen for
the Cure.
"Our firm already had some folks
involved with Komen, but this made it very personal for me and the
firm," Winters said. "The firm decided it would take another step
and become a gold sponsor of Komen and we came up with the name
Kristi's Krew for the Race for the Cure starting in 2009."
Ellis & Winters was second in
team fundraising that first year, and set a new fundraising record
for the Komen N.C. Triangle Race for the Cure in 2010 with a total
of $36,687.
For Hutchens, the illness affected
her close friend and co-worker, Neil Miller. Miller, 26, was
diagnosed with stage four breast cancer the summer before she took
the bar exam. Hutchens and Miller were both summer associates at
Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson when Miller was diagnosed.
"She persevered and loved working as
a lawyer at the firm and came to work almost every day during her
fight," Hutchens said. "Unfortunately she passed away in September
2010."
The Charlotte Race for the Cure was in October, so Hutchens'
firm made the pledge to match any donations that their lawyers made
to Team Neil, which was organized by Miller's husband, William, an
attorney at Alston & Bird. Two of the members of Team Neil were
among the top-10 individual fundraisers for Charlotte and the team
was among to top fundraisers for the event as well.
Riding in Support of Diabetes Research
"I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was nine and
I've also been a recreational cyclist for the last 15 years,"
Thomas Henson of HensonFuerst in Raleigh said. "I've also been
involved with the American Diabetes Association so the Tour de Cure
was obviously a good fit for me."
Henson has combined two aspects of
his life to form the HensonFuerst cycling team that has grown to 30
riders ranging from beginners to tri-athletes and competes in the
Tour de Cure, a series of fundraising rides organized by local
chapters of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
"For the last few years I've served as chair for the Tour de
Cure and will be the chair for the 2011 event as well," Henson
said. "Our long-term goal is 2,000 riders and one million dollars
raised and we should be between 500 and 600 riders for this year's
event in June."
12 Days of Giving
For Attorneys Title president Kim Rosenberg of Raleigh,
her personal work on the board of directors for the local food bank
inspired her employees' desire to get involved.
"Last year we saw a great increase
in demand for services for the food bank," Rosenberg said. "My
employees were interested in seeing what we could do as a business
to help and we decided to hold a food drive."
During their 12 Days of Giving event
Attorneys Title employees raised the equivalent of 30,000 pounds of
food, surpassing their goal of 25,000.
"We had such a good response that we decided to do it again and
we now reach food banks statewide, from Asheville to Wilmington,"
Rosenberg said.
Multiple Involvements
Most law firms have multiple outlets for their
philanthropic work, and NCBA Past-President Janet Ward Black's firm
is no exception. Two of the programs that Ward Black Law is
involved with are Toys for Tots and VIP for a VIP.
Ward Black Law hosted the 2010
Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign, "Operation Santa's
Helper," for the third straight year to help the organization
collect new, unwrapped gifts for children ages infant to 12 years
old that will be distributed to needy children in the Triad
area.
The VIP for a VIP (Vehicle Injury Prevention for a Very
Important Person) program heightens awareness of the hazards of
distracted driving and Ward Black law displayed a wrecked vehicle
for one week in November to help raise awareness.
Going "Over the Edge"
How far would you go to raise awareness and money for a
cause? Two Smith Anderson lawyers were willing to rappel off the
30-story Wachovia Capitol Center Building in downtown Raleigh to
show their support for the Special Olympics North Carolina
fundraiser.
"This event is a great match for our
firm because we have several attorneys that are passionate about
the Special Olympics movement and our offices are located in the
building that we have the privilege of descending," Margaret
Rosenfeld said.
Rosenfeld joined Kirk Warner in the "Over the Edge" fundraiser
Oct. 1 after Smith Anderson raised over $2,000 from internal
contributions from lawyers and staff members.
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.