"For the past three years I served as a Girl Scout leader. Even though I got involved for my own daughters, it was so rewarding to work with all of the girls and to see them grow in a safe environment. The biggest reward for me was seeing just how big their hearts were. Each year, my girls voted to donate large percentages of their cookie sales money to charity. As a group, they identified and voted on areas of need that were most important to them. Hopefully I was able to help start them on a life-long path of giving back to their communities."
Jessie Harrell
Creed & Gowdy, P.A.
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"I previously served on the board of Catholic Charities-Jacksonville Bureau (past president) and currently serve on the Diocesan Board of Catholic Charities, the Jacksonville Public Education Fund board, City Year Jacksonville board and the Jacksonville Journey Oversight Committee. I have been incredibly blessed in my life to have been, and continue to be, surrounded by an abundance of love. Paying this love forward is what drove me to accept the calling to join these organizations that address some of the most pressing issues affecting the most vulnerable in our community."
Ricardo Bedoya
Holland & Knight, LLP
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"If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a team of professionals to respond to the needs of a human trafficking survivor. Recently, I took a case as an attorney ad litem of a DMST (domestic minor sex trafficking) survivor. Her history was not atypical — abuse, neglect, incarcerated parent. She wanted better but didn’t know how to get there. Working with a multidisciplinary team, she is on her way. Yaima Coto, Andrea Reyes and Leslie Goller are a few of a small group of attorneys leading Attorneys for Human Trafficking Survivors (A4HTS). It is the JBA’s response to this dire need. We all have a part to play and I encourage you to get involved."
Crystal Freed
The Freed Firm, P.A.
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"I was raised in the golf community and played nationally competitive amateur and collegiate golf. Last year, I served on the Ronald McDonald House’s inaugural golf tournament committee. It provided an avenue to share a game that I still love while raising money for a worthwhile charity. I am also heavily involved in Bar activities and currently serve as president of the Jacksonville Association of Defense Counsel and as a member of the Florida Bar Appellate Section’s executive council and 1st District Appellate Inn of Court."
Kansas Gooden
Boyd & Jenerette, P.A.
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"I am the proprietor of the Law Office of Vanessa C. Hill, P.A., a full service immigration firm. I enjoy getting involved in the Jacksonville community by taking on pro bono immigration cases at Legal Aid Jacksonville or participating in events such as Citizenship Day. I am also a voice for children in the foster care system through my work as a Guardian ad Litem."
Vanessa Hill
Law Office of Vanessa C. Hill, P.A.