by Monica Tsai
Staff Writer
Every October, the Association of Legal Administrators issues a Community Challenge, a volunteer drive for local nonprofit agencies, to its members.
The Jacksonville chapter of ALA has decided to support
the Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Grove House of Jacksonville and Hubbard House.
“All of the ALA chapters throughout the country participate,” said Carol Cenci, Community Challenge co-chair and office administrator for Coker, Myers, Schickel, Sorenson & Green. “Each chapter selects a project. We also volunteer all year long.”
The Jacksonville chapter had such a difficult time narrowing its search to just one charity they decided to go with their top three. Statistics provided by Hubbard House about domestic violence swayed the decision of ALA board members to include that organization in the Community Challenge.
“One out of five couples have experienced domestic violence in the past year,” said Cenci. “Homicide is the leading cause of death for women on the job and 17 percent are murdered by their partner at the workplace. However, 78 percent of the women that stay at Hubbard for four weeks don’t return to their abuser and 90 percent of abusers that go through the abuser program, if there is no police involvement, don’t have another incident within three years.”
ALA members are organizing a collection drive for cleaning supplies so the organization can better serve battered women. Clothes, personal hygiene items and first aid kits are popular “wish list” items but they decided to focus on the cleaning supplies needed to operate the shelter.
“People forget about the organization itself and what it takes to run an organization,” said Cenci. “Think of how many sheets, pillows, towels and washcloths they must use with the amount of people that stay there.”
Other donation suggestions included activity books for children, puzzles, coloring books and crayons.
“At our Christmas party, everyone brings toys to donate,” added Sherry Rice, Cenci’s co-chair and an office administrator for Coker, Myers.
As a community partner with Hospice’s Hadlow Center in Mandarin, the ALA provides items for terminally-ill patients and their families. Whenever Hospice does not have a certain item in their thrift store, they call a community partner to obtain it for them.
Common requests are for personal hygiene items and non-perishable food, but they also need volunteers to help with clerical work, filing medical records, delivering meals or medicine, foreign language translation and haircuts.
“They go to great lengths to give patients what they would like in their last days so that they can pass on with dignity and less discomfort,” said Cenci.
Sweat equity is what Cenci and Rice will be offering the Grove House. The Grove House of Jacksonville works to help the mentally challenged achieve independence. For the charity’s annual orange-picking fundraiser in November, ALA members will be raking and bagging leaves to help prepare for the event.
“It’s not a major project to us but to them, it’s one less thing to do,” said Rice.
“It’s amazing how appreciative they are,” added Cenci. “Every little thing you do makes a big difference to the people out there.”
The Association of Legal Administrators was formed in 1971 to “promote and enhance the competence and professionalism of legal administrators and all members of their management team,” said Jean Pimental, ALA publicity chair. They have more than 100 chapters in the United States with 44 members in the local chapter.