August 2006

YLD Holds Midyear Meeting, Plans Community Service Projects

Young lawyers from all over the state descended upon the wooded shoreline of Lake Texoma for the OBA/YLD Midyear Meeting, which was held in conjunction with the OBA Solo and Small Firm Conference at Tanglewood Resort June 22-24. The YLD Board of Directors convened its meeting at noon on Saturday, reviewing status reports from its 15 subcommittees and discussing other upcoming events.

Among the several exciting community service activities discussed was the “Surviving the Season” project, chaired by board members Shawnae Proctor and Lara Russell.

“The ultimate goal of the committee is to place fans, air conditioners and heaters in the homes of financially-deprived elderly, ill persons and children during scorching summer months and bitter winter months,” Ms. Proctor said.

The committee has already conducted significant research, gathering state and national statistics on indoor weather-related deaths, and pinpointed and contacted the coordinators of other similar programs throughout the United States. Following the publication of a public awareness pamphlet, the committee hopes to sponsor fund-raising activities and collect charitable donations. With temperatures in Oklahoma this year topping out over 100 degrees, the YLD intends to prioritize the work of this important and potentially life-saving committee.

Also among the activities discussed was the Children and the Law Committee, which, under the direction of young lawyers Lily Debrah and Carol King, is in the process of establishing a mentoring program for troubled and at-risk high school students.

“We are putting together a list of lawyers and law students, each of whom will be assigned a youngster with whom he or she can meet for one hour per week during school hours on school grounds,” Ms. King said. “There are no costs to being a member, aside from the time spent listening to these students in need and being a positive influence in their lives.”

YLD Secretary Rick Rose and Director Sarah Glick provided an update on their work in the YLD’s Gift of Life Committee, a program dedicated to registering organ and tissue donors and providing extensive educational resources to the community regarding the same. Since the recent re-publication of the Gift of Life Handbook, Ms. Glick and Mr. Rose have been compiling a database of churches in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area for targeted mailings. In addition to providing registration and informational materials, committee members plan on making themselves available for on-site presentations. While the database is an ongoing project, the committee anticipates sending out packets to the first 100 churches by month’s end.

Between planning meetings and CLE, the YLD also hosted a well-attended hospitality suite, coordinated by Chair-Elect Chris Camp and board members Joshua Schwartz and Dan Zemke. Several YLD directors were on hand to promote involvement in the YLD and its various committees, while members of the bar of all ages enjoyed music, refreshments and chatting with OBA leaders and each other.