thank you for thE support of our sponsors and voluntEErs!
Community Services Committee
Chairs:WendyDePaul–Cohen&DePaul,P.A.,LaraLaVoie–LaVoie&Kaizer,P.A.&JanaeThomas–OfficeoftheStateAttorney
“it’s easy to make a buck. it’s a lot tougher
to make a difference.” — tom Brokaw
T
he Community Services
Committee (CSC)
enjoyed an amazing
2018-2019 Bar year
due to the support and generosity
of our wonderful volunteers and
donors and looks forward to another
year of making a difference — with
your help!
Our final event of last year took
place in May 2019 at A Kid’s Place
in Brandon, which is an amazing
nonprofit center for abused and
abandoned children. To help these
wonderful children feel like kids for
a day, the CSC threw our annual
Pirate Plunder Party (chaired for
the sixth year by Captain Lisa
Esposito of the Law Offices of Lisa
Esposito, P.A.). It was a resounding
success, surpassing prior years,
thanks to all who donated and
helped! A big thank-you to our two
main sponsors — Stingray Chevrolet
(and its Finance Manager John
Whaley) and Fernando Rodriguez
(and his company National Services,
Inc.). YOU ROCK!
Both kids and volunteers had
a blast. This year we added more
games, additional rides, and new
creative treats. For the first time,
we had a real train, sponsored by
the GFWC Women’s Organization
(thanks to Donna Chastain for
bringing that organization aboard).
The kids loved riding around in the
pirate plunder train; in fact, some
adults did too (you know who you
28
are, but, rest
assured, your
secret is safe
with us).
We also added
Captain Cooks’ Creative Cookie
Creations, allowing the little pirates
to use edible paints to create pirate
cookies (created by the generosity
of Kristen’s Cookies and sponsored
by Black Rock Trial Lawyers and
their Captain, Gil Sanchez). The
Scallywag Game Room a/k/a Lee’s
Portable Game Room was a huge
hit and wouldn’t have been possible
without the generosity of owner
Nijah Lee and sponsor, Tempus
Business Strategists.
Pirate games included Jump the
Plank, where the little buccaneers
walked the plank without falling
into shark-infested waters (thanks to
our game sponsors — Law Offices
of Lisa Esposito, P.A. and Lara
LaVoie and her firm, LaVoie &
Kaizer, P.A). Advanced Diagnostics
Group sponsored the pirate corn
hole. We also dressed the little
buccaneers as pirates (thanks to a
donation from Jennifer L. Hamey,
P.A.). For the second year in a
row, DJ Brian Ferrito generously
donated his services, and pirates
were dancing in the streets and
singing on their ships (thanks April
Kennedy for introducing us to
DJ Ferrito). Mr. Photobot again
discounted the doubloons to allow
the return of the Purty Pirate Photo
Booth (sponsored by LaFleur’s
Gymnastics & Little Flipper Swim
School — with a special thanks to
Lance Cochran). We might even
add that some of the scurvy dogs
cleaned up real purty and nary a
one broke the camera! The face
painter and balloon artist (sponsored
by AJ’s Bikes and Boards and Client
Legal Funding) were hits again
this year, thanks to Glitterbug. If
you happen to visit any of these
vendors, please tell them how their
generosity brought smiles to some
very deserving kids!
The kids also enjoyed a dunk tank,
sponsored by Eric & Laura Sugrue,
who also donated their time and
talent by helping to create the
sponsor signs and sorting through
thousands of toys). The kids loved
dunking their social workers and
house parents, and we even saw some
pirates going swimming in the tank!
The treasure chest toys (a/k/a
plunder) overflowed through the
generously donated doubloons by
many a pirate and krewe. Thanks
to the contributors, including the
Law Offices of Lisa Esposito, P.A.;
the law firm of LaVoie & Kaizer,
P.A.; Mary Simmons, CPA, P.A.;
Jennifer L. Hamey, P.A.;
Anton/Garcia Attorneys At Law;
Sandra Puerta/CSB Healthcare
Solutions, Inc.; Hill Ward
Henderson Law Firm (with a special
thanks to two of the HCBA’s past
presidents, Gordon and Ben Hill,
who also helped at the event); Yvette
Hammett; Wenzel, Fenton &
Cabassa; Lee Everett; Fernando
Llop; Helen Gilmore; the Horgen
Family; and Pam Olsen of the
Olsen Law Firm, P.A.
The barbecue was awesome,
thanks to the generosity of
continued on page 29
NOV - DEC 2019
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HCBA LAWYER