For many people, the concept of community is limited to friends and family. We encourage our colleagues to consider community in a broader context. As a firm, we invite attorneys and staff to devote a paid workday to community service, resulting in more than 3,000 full days of service. This is in addition to the many thousands of hours of personal time our colleagues dedicate to volunteer activities. Our Community Service Days impact our colleagues profoundly. Here are some anecdotes from Morrison & Foerster volunteers:
Reading Mentor for Fifth Grader: "I'd like to comment on my recent Community Service Days experience with "Everybody Wins! D.C." A litigation paralegal and I both signed up to handle the shared reading mentorship of one fifth grade student at a local Washington, D.C. public elementary school. This teamwork option helps us manage our busy work schedules, and still be there for the students. Taking turns reading sections, my student and I got through a good five chapters. By the end of our first hour, we'd had a good time, become friends, and had a few laughs. What a great way to spend my lunch hour!" —Owen Bergwall, Washington, D.C. office
Helping Abandoned Dogs and Cats Find Homes: "I volunteer every weekend with the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society. Dogs and cats arrive, injured and abused. Volunteers like me work with the animals to socialize, train and groom them. Then, we facilitate adoptions. We work with pit bulls and pit bull mixes to help change the negative stereotype of the breed, and we have 'Walk Days' at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to showcase the dogs. We have seen many happy endings and I find it very fulfilling." —Tracy Roybal, Los Angeles office
Preparing Meals for Chronically Ill Neighbors: "Last December, I volunteered through "God's Love We Deliver" to assist in preparing meals for those who are chronically ill with AIDS, diabetes, or other long-term illnesses. Food is a basic need, and when you are sick, you have no strength to cook for yourself. It's very easy to give up and give into depression. It felt great to be a part of something much greater than my own focus and world." —Karen Cocchi, New York office
Reliving Local History with Third Graders: "I chaperoned a group of Third Graders on a field trip to Torrey Pines State Reserve in San Diego, an area once occupied by the Kumeyaay Indians. Our day was focused on living as the original inhabitants of this land had lived, and we began by learning how the Kumeyaay made baskets from fibers in a cactus plant, used a wild cucumber root (manroot) to stun fish, and hunted the wood rat. It was a wonderful, hands-on learning opportunity for these third graders, and I was delighted to be a part of it." —Betsy Chessler, San Diego office
Channeling Santa Claus: "MoFo is the first employer I've had that has provided Community Service Days. Five months after I joined the firm, my coworker Martha Carrington invited me to fill in for Santa Claus at Bessie Carmichael, an inner-city school that the firm supports in various ways. I'm sort of a skinny guy, but Martha told me the Santa suit came with a pillow, so I said, 'Sure.' That decision has brought me such rich rewards. The commitment feels more like play than work. For hours, classroom after classroom of children are led into a large hall, where I sit in my heavily padded Santa suit and hand out gift bags. The children are delightful. I've had the opportunity to channel Santa's energy three Christmases in a row now. Thank you, MoFo, for making this wonderful event available for me." —Steve Susoyev, San Francisco office
Donating Platelets—the Gift of Life: "It may seem mundane, but I learned it makes a huge difference. A co-worker in our San Diego office sought donations last year when her husband needed a surgery that required a lot of platelets, so I donated just for him. While donating, I learned that there is a constant need for platelet donations. I decided to donate twice a year now, right before holidays when a lot of traffic accidents seem to occur, the Fourth of July, and New Year's Eve. I know it's not as glamorous as building houses in Mexico, but I love knowing that perhaps my platelets helped save the lives of some people in need." —Michelle Tow, San Diego office
Providing Comfort for Wounded Members of the Armed Forces: "For the past two years, I've spent my Community Service Day (plus many more hours) with at community centers designing afghans for the wounded men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces for a program called 'Helping to Thank Those Wounded in Service to Our Country.' We meet several times a year from early in the morning until late in the afternoon to design afghans with 6"x9" rectangles that had been either knitted or crocheted by individuals from all over the country. So far, this organization has distributed 2,030 afghans to medical centers serving the military, including Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas, and Craig Joint Theatre Hospital in Afghanistan." —Teresa Brunot, Washington, D.C.
Decorating & Landscaping a Home for Those in Recovery: In July 2008, attorneys and staff of our London office became decorators and gardeners for the day, and transformed a 'move-on' (half-way) house for people recovering from substance abuse. Our project was to decorate the front of the house, the communal living area, and kitchen, and to spruce up the back garden of the old building, in essence, making the living environment for its occupants as pleasant as possible in just one day. The house, located in Nunhead, is run by Kairos Community Trust, a charity set up in 1991 in London to provide accommodation, help and support for those who are still in need of support whilst preparing to return to live in the wider community." —London Morrison & Foerster staff & attorneys
Fighting Against Hate Crimes: "I participated as a facilitator in a mock trial for the Colorado Lawyers Committee for my Community Service Day in March, 2009. The Colorado Lawyers Committee is made up of a group of 43 law firms in the Denver metro area committed to improving conditions for children and the underprivileged. The lawyers and others who donate their time through the Lawyers Committee work for systems change using advocacy, negotiation, litigation, and education. One of the major projects of the Lawyers Committee has been its Hate Violence Task force. This group of volunteer lawyers, paralegals, and other concerned citizens is dedicated to educating others about Colorado's Bias-Motivated Crimes ("Hate Crime") Statute and representing indigent victims of hate crimes. I've been participating for several years now, and I know my community service days help others." —Kelly Vieyra, Denver office