Of course, sometimes we get so excited by our results, I wonder if we lose track of why we do this. Our efforts are a huge part of the College’ s dedication to its mission. The American College of Bankruptcy is an honorary public service association of insolvency professionals dedicated to the enhancement of professionalism, scholarship, and service in bankruptcy and insolvency law and practice. A little over 20 years ago, the Foundation was formed as an effort to help the College and our individual fellows fulfill that mission. As the chart above shows, we have increased our support by more than 5-fold since the inception of the Foundation. Through your generosity and the hard work of many, we have worked to fulfill the mission of the Foundation which is focused on the sponsorship and encouragement of legal research, publications and forums in our area; establishment of scholarships and grant awards; providing for the collection and maintenance of data and documents for scholarly research; fostering the institution and maintenance of legal aid services for the indigent; and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within the organization and across the insolvency profession.
Norm Pernick’ s article will tell you about the $ 600,000 plus the Grants Committee gave out this year, so I will not steal his thunder! But I do want to share the news that thanks to your generosity we were able to budget an additional $ 50,000 dollars for the Grants Committee to distribute in 2025. Your donations are reaching across the country to support not only some of the best pro bono work but also offering opportunities to young people in our industry that they would not have but for your help. That is not all you have done as you have grown the Foundation through the years. Peruse our website. You will find a wealth of information regarding not only our grants, but our efforts to provide educational material to consumers faced with insolvency and credit issues at Resources for Consumers | American College of Bankruptcy Foundation. The site provides educational resources to help students from elementary to college understand finances for navigating a complex world. Your donations and good work year in and year out make a huge difference and each of you should be proud. The Foundation year after year expands it impact and we could not do it without your support. Thank you!
Speaking of“ thank yous”, we all owe a big thank you to the fund-raising teams for each circuit listed below for their help: 1st Circuit Director: Chris Candon 1st Circuit Director: Christine Devine 1st Circuit Regent: Doug Gooding 1st Circuit Volunteer: Dale, Chad Foundation Treasurer: Margie Kaufman 2nd Circuit Director: Jay Goffman 2nd Circuit Director: Katie Coleman Foundation Secretary: Lisa Schweitzer Senior Director: Bob Rosenberg Pro Bono Chair: Norm Pernick 3rd Circuit Director: Warren Usatine 3rd Circuit Director: Laura Davis Jones 4th Circuit Director: Lynn Tavenner 4th Circuit Director: Julio( Rick) Mendoza 5th Circuit Director: Travis Torrence 5th Circuit Director: Dwayne Murray 6th Circuit Director: Julie Teicher 6th Circuit Director: Hon. John Hoffman 6th Circuit Director: Scott Wolfson 6th Circuit Regent: Rozanne Giunta 7th Circuit Director: Caroline Reckler 7th Circuit Director: Felicia Gerber Perlman 8th Circuit Volunteer: Monica Clark 8th Circuit Volunteer: James Bartholomew
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