Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowBy Elisabeth Edwards, Wanzer Edwards PC
The Indianapolis Bar Foundation (IBF) is hosting its fifth annual Day of Giving on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. Last year, YOU, our amazing legal community, absolutely knocked it out of the park. Here’s how things turned out in 2021, by the numbers:
333: The number of individual donors who stepped up to contribute $50,677.
$9,000: The amount we received in sponsorships from local firms.
$2,898: The amount received in matching gifts.
$62,575: Our grand total of all donations, gifts and sponsorships!
So, who benefits from your donations? Our top individual recipient for 2022 was Indiana Disability Rights, who received our $35,000 Community Empowerment Grant. With this grant, IDR plans to create an accessible Advanced Directives (AD) Toolkit for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) that includes plain language information about AD options and sample legal forms with step-by-step guides on how to complete and use them. Following development of the toolkit, workshops throughout central Indiana will help individuals with I/DD get assistance with understanding and completing the forms, along with having forms notarized.
The IBF also awards more than $100,000 to a variety of programs each year. Projects funded include service to the community and should be familiar to you, such as Ask a Lawyer, Legal Lines and our Virtual Help Desk, as well as Constitution books and voter registration information provided to newly naturalized citizens. However, you may not know that the IBF also provides service to the profession such as the Diversity Job Fair, professionalism initiatives and the Commonly Asked Questions about Indiana Law book. Additionally, the IBF helps provide educational initiatives for law students and attorneys alike, such as providing support for the Bench Bar Conference, web-based access to Bar Review and support for distance legal education. Finally, the IBF helps support the Bar Leader Series, and provides scholarships for IndyBar programming such as Bar Review, the Applied Professionalism Course and Bench Bar.
This month, you are likely to see social media posts and personal emails asking you to donate on Oct. 26. The IBF board will be busy that day at IndyBar HQ, making personal asks, and going live to thank donors. For Day of Giving, we don’t need you to buy anything or to go anywhere. We’re not asking you to interrupt your busy practices to spend an hour with us; we’re only asking that you take a few moments, from the convenience of your computer or cellphone, to donate the cash equivalent of one hour of your time. If that’s not possible, then whatever amount feels meaningful to you is greatly appreciated. That’s it! Your donation to the IBF truly makes a difference in our community, and a difference in our profession.
If you would like any additional information on the IndyBar Foundation or if you would like to learn more about the Day of Giving, please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected]. If you’re in downtown Indy on Oct. 26 (Day of Giving), please stop by IndyBar HQ at 140 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis, and say hello to the IBF board. We look forward to seeing you, and we thank you in advance for your support.•
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