H C B A
Continued from page 6
We had strong turnouts for the January Diversity
Membership Luncheon and the 5K Pro Bono River
Run and Judicial Food Festival in February. Thanks to
all the race participants who pledged pro bono hours,
and thanks to all the creative booth decorators and chefs
who provided delicious food and drinks! Our members
continue to enjoy time catching up and learning, too, at
our smaller committee and section events. Coming up,
we hope events like HCBA night at the Tampa Bay
Lightning hockey game on March 15 may offer a break
from the rigors of work. Ours is a relationship-driven
profession, so we will continue to offer different
opportunities to grow your relationships and connections.
Goal: To increase public understanding of how the
judicial system works and to serve as a voice for the legal
community. Law Week activities will occur from March
9-13 and give opportunities for volunteers to educate and
interact with the public in three focused ways: (1) by
visiting and speaking to classes in local schools; (2) by
MAR - APR 2020
|
HCBA LAWYER
P R E S I D E N T ’ S
M E S S A G E
G r a c e H . Ya n g – G r a y Ro b i n s o n
leading tours at the George Edgecomb Courthouse; or
(3) by putting on mock trials in elementary schools.
I have previously participated in all three volunteer
opportunities. If you enjoy interacting with K-12
students, or have children or other younger relatives in
local schools, this is a fun week each year to consider
giving some of your time.
Goal: To promote inclusiveness in the membership and
leadership of the association and the legal profession. We
have members in their 20s, members in their 80s, and all
the years in between! A variety of practice areas and
multi-generations are represented in the workplace. As
our Diversity Membership Luncheon keynote speaker
Sherry Williams urged, we can all do our part to help
with recruitment and retention of people of diverse
backgrounds, and your HCBA welcomes your
participation and ideas. As poet Maya Angelou wrote,
“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich
tapestry . . . and we must understand that all the threads
of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their
color.” n
7