THE ADVOCATE Newsletter of The Baltimore County Bar Association VOLUME XXIX, NO. 4
November 2019
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE by Hon. Michael W. Siri
The Baltimore County Bar Association seeks to provide value to its membership; however, each member has his or her own opinion of what is most important to them. It may be networking with lawyers and judges. It may be CLEs on particular subject matters. It may be pro bono opportunities or charitable giving. The BCBA wants to provide value to all of its members and for those seeking an opportunity to help our community, we have organized an Adopt a Family Program for the holidays. It originally began a few years ago in conjunction with the Maryland State Bar Association and Y in Central Maryland. Firms, organizations, and groups were assigned a family without the resources to purchase holiday gifts. We were able to get toys, clothes, and presents to 10 families in need. We even had a few extra gifts, which could be delivered to the Y for distribution after the holidays.
On the evening of December 23rd, right before I closed up for the long holiday weekend and feeling
pretty proud of myself for helping facilitate the Adopt a Family program, I get an urgent email, which originated from a grandmother who had custody of her five grandkids but did not have anything for them for Christmas. She was not asking for a particular gift, but just anything to potentially put under the tree. My heart sunk and I was filled with a sense of guilt. While I was busy patting myself on the back for a job well done, I failed to realize that, unfortunately, there is always a need. Luckily, with some creative scheduling, we were able to get the toys to the grandmother in time for Christmas. We saved Christmas for this family and it felt good. The BCBA wants to help more families this year and we are seeking law firms, organizations, and groups to participate in the Adopt a Family Program. The program is fairly simple.
Inside This Edition ABA Delegate Report Annual Charity Bar Wars Trivia Bench/Bar Update Calendar of Events Committee News County Council Update Court Notices District Ct Assignments Friedman Investiture Member Ads Member News Professionalism Save the Date Sponsor Spotlight
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November2019