by The Florida Bar News
The Young Lawyers Section of the Jacksonville Bar Association received an honorable mention for its work with HabiJax at the Young Lawyers Division’s recent Affiliate Outreach Conference.
“We’re delighted,” said YLS president Frank Lonegro. “The Florida Bar grant was $500. It will provide seed money for our fundraising efforts. We need to raise $3,000 to fully support a HabiJax house. We are trying to get additional money from the American Bar Association. If it is granted, it will be awarded in February. Remaining contributions will be solicited from YLS members. We are raising money and providing workers to build a house. There are a variety of things to be done. There is something for everybody.”
A Dade young lawyers project that provides assistance to at-risk teenage girls took the top honors.
True to YLD President Liz Rice’s efforts at inclusiveness, this year’s YLD AOC featured the most diverse group ever to convene at the annual event, according to Scott Atwood, conference co-chair.
In addition to representatives from local bar associations for counties and cities such as Orange, Dade, Volusia and St. Petersburg, representatives from affiliates such as the Broward County Women’s Lawyers Association and the Florida Justice Unit chapter of B’Nai B’rith were among nearly 30 in attendance at the recent conference held on Long Boat Key.
The conference featured a presentation from ABA representative Jennifer Ator of Miami on ways the ABA can help affiliates and focused on an ABA program designed to increase diversity awareness and tolerance of others.
“The heart of the conference, however, focused on the exchange of ideas between the various affiliates,” said Atwood. “Some 16 affiliates presented projects to the YLD and their other affiliates.”
YLD Networking Chair Kathy Bishop of Perry organized a president’s roundtable discussion that was attended by nearly two dozen presidents and former presidents of the local bar groups.
The YLD also sponsored a dinner for the conference attendees at which every affiliate which had presented a project at the conference received a minimum of $500 from the YLD as seed money for their projects. Six affiliate projects were selected for additional funding. Dade County YLD’s Horizons Project was selected as the Best Project and received a grant of $2,000 to help find its efforts to provide assistance to teenage girls in at-risk environments enter a program that will help them achieve success in life. Palm Beach’s YLD and the combined 3rd/8th Circuits each received $1,500 as runners-up for Best Project. Palm Beach’s Adopt-a-School Program involves the YLD adopting an elementary school with a high at-risk population and providing it with monetary and mentoring assistance. The 3rd/8th Circuit program, titled “Finding Your Way to the Courthouse,” is designed to help pro se litigants in family court understand the legal process.
Lee County, Hillsborough County, and the B’Nai B’rith Justice Unit each received $1,000 to help fund their respective projects. These projects were: Rooms to Grow (Lee County), wherein the YLD provides funds to assist in a local children’s home’s efforts to provide clothes and equipment for these children to play sports; Pro Bono Adoption (Hillsborough), which helps individuals who want to adopt children get through the process; and the Happy Campers Program (B’Nai B’rith), which helps underprivileged children go to summer camp.
Receiving honorable mentions for their projects were Volusia County YLD (Lawyers for Literacy); St. Petersburg YLD (Scholarship Program); Clearwater YLD (The Great Debate Project); Osceola County YLD (Holiday Gifts for Seniors Program); Orange County YL (Great Oaks Village Project); Sarasota YLD (Community Legal Education Seminar); Broward County Women’s Lawyers YLD (Take Our Daughters to Work Day); the Broward County YLD (Mentor Program); and Martin County (Afternoon in the Courthouse).
—Reprinted with permission of
The Florida Bar News