WMACCA "In-House... in the community"
projects for 2011:

WMACCA wants to give you a heads up regarding the following "In-House...In the Community" Service opportunities in 2011.  We'd love to see you there.  Family and friends are welcome to join us as well.

Washington, D.C., Metro Area Projects:

• We had such a good time packing boxes at MANNA FOOD CENTER in Gaithersburg that we will be doing it again on Monday, March 28. Contact Bob Gans to volunteer at rgans@csc.com.

• Our POTOMAC WATERSHED CLEAN-UP PROJECT site this year will be near Georgetown Harbor.  Join us on the morning of Saturday, April 9.  Sign-up information to come.

• Amateur remodeling enthusiasts are welcome at the Perry Hall Condos in Arlington, VA, for our HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BUILD DAY on Saturday, May 7.

• We will again run, walk or stroll at the LAWYERS HAVE HEART 10k on Saturday, June 11.

Richmond Area Projects:

• TBA

Please save the dates on your calendar!  

If you have any other ideas for community service opportunities that may be of interest to WMACCA, please contact:

• Bob Gans (rgans@csc.com) or Ilene Reid (ilene.reid@wmacca.com)  for the Washington, D.C., Metro Area; or
• Anna King (aking@markelcorp.com) or Frost Telegadas (frost.telegadas@wmacca.com) for the Richmond area.

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES for Community Service:

In addition, WMACCA would like to highlight these worthy projects that have recently been brought to our attention:

• The Community Economic Development Project at the DC Bar Pro Bono Program provides periodic training sessions.  For more information about the CED's projects and opportunities to volunteer, please contact Lauren Paley, CED Project Coordinator, at lpaley@dcbar.org. 

• Street Law - In Fall 2011, WMACCA will once again participate in the Street Law Program, working with high school students. Since 2008, volunteers have taught classes at Park View High School in Loudoun County, VA (the most racially diverse high school in that county) and prepared students for a fabulous mock trial.  For 30 years, Street Law's programs have promoted knowledge of legal rights and responsibilities, engagement in the democratic process, and belief in the rule of law, among both youth and adults. Andy Shipley of Northrop Grumman Corp. is spearheading this project. For more information, you can e-mail Andy at andrew.shipley@ngc.com.  See photos the from 2009 class's mock trial at http://www.acc.com/chapters/wmacca/probono.cfm
  

• Everybody Wins! DC is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting children's literacy and a love of learning.  Everybody Wins! DC is looking for volunteers for its Power Lunch Program, which pairs professionals from the community with under-served students at low-income public elementary schools for one-on-one weekly reading sessions during the lunch hour.  A Reading Mentor is matched with an elementary school student who has expressed interest in Power Lunch. The Reading Mentor selects a day on which they meet weekly at the student’s school during the student’s lunch and recess hour. The program is flexible; we’re happy to occasionally reschedule your reading day if necessary. Onsite School Coordinators supervise the reading hour and offer any needed support. Books are provided. Being a mentor can be one of the most satisfying and rewarding experiences you'll ever have. With just one hour a week, you can make a positive difference in the life of a child.  For more information about Power Lunch, please visit the organization's Web site at http://www.everybodywinsdc.org/plmain.php

• Loudoun Habitat for Humanity is a county unit of the national organization dedicated to providing adequate housing to people in need.  Loudoun Habitat operates a ReStore in Purcellville.  ReStores are retail businesses that sell new and used building materials and home improvement items to the general public and contractors.  All materials are donated, and are made available for sale to the public at 50 to 90 percent below retail prices.  The ReStore in Purcellville can use volunteers to collect donations, run the cash register and stock shelves. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please visit http://www.loudounhabitat.org/volunteer 

• BEST KIDS INC. -- Your Chance to Make a Real Difference in the Life of a Child:  Who mentored you? Chances are, the steady guidance and encouragement of  a caring adult helped you get where you are today.  That's what BEST Kids, Inc. seeks to provide for children in DC's abuse and neglect system.  Kids in foster care, possibly more than any other group of youth, need a consistent role model and friend in their lives.  BEST Kids recruits, trains and supports volunteer mentors to DC foster care children. A monthly peer group activity helps BEST Kids mentors and mentees bond with each other.  If you'd like to learn more about BEST Kids -- about being a mentor, sponsoring or assisting with a peer group activity, or making a donation, please visit www.bestkids.org today or contact WMACCA member & BEST Kids board member, Tracey Steiner, at tracey.steiner@nreca.org or 703-907-5847.

Recent Past Events:

• Park improvement at Great Falls Park in Virginia on National Public Lands Day -- September 2008, 2009, and 2010.
• In 2009 and 2010, WMACCA sponsored and participated in the Alice Ferguson Foundation Trash-Free Potomac Watershed Cleanup Day.
  
• In 2008 and 2009, Team WMACCA made a strong showing at the Everybody Wins! DC Lawyers for Literacy Trivia Challenge.  
• WMACCA provided six moderators/judges for the annual GeoPlunge Tournament held in 2009 at Bell Multicultural School.  
• Bread for the City Collection Drive ($525 collected at the 2008 WMACCA Corporate Counsel Awards Reception, and $500 matching funds from WMACCA) -- 2009.
  
• Lawyers Have a Heart 10k Run/3k Walk - Washington, DC - participated and sponsored in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
  
• DC Cares Servathon - in May 2007, WMACCA painted at Hine Junior High School in Southeast DC, prepared and delivered meals for the DC Central Kitchen, and volunteered at SOME (So Others Might Eat)
  
  

WMACCA has a strong commitment to offer in-house counsel increased involvement in activities outside of their "day jobs" by engaging in community service work as an organization.  We call it “In House… In the Community.” 

Our members already know that WMACCA is the best bargain in town when it comes to professional development and networking among legal colleagues. For those of you who are unaware of these additional advantages of WMACCA membership, remember this:
We are not just in-house - We are “In-House… In The Community”