Dear Friend and Colleague:

On behalf of the trustees and staff of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation, please accept our thanks to the many lawyers and friends who have supported the foundation. This year marks the 60-year anniversary of OBF. The success of the foundation in being able to make charitable contributions is owed to the generosity, dedication and hard work of many lawyers over many decades.

All licensed lawyers in Oklahoma are members of the foundation. It serves as the charitable arm of the Oklahoma Bar Association. In October, the Board of Trustees based upon the recommendation of the Grants and Awards Committee approved charitable distributions in the amount of $464,790. Grants were made to:

• Oklahoma CASA Association for children
• Oklahoma CAVA Association for vulnerable adults
• Tulsa Lawyers for Children
• Senior Law Resource Center
• SANE of Southwest Oklahoma
• Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
• Oklahoma Indian Legal Services
• Oklahoma High School Mock Trial Program
• Green Country Youth Court Program
• Law-Related Education Teacher’s Summer Institute
• YMCA Youth and Government Program
• Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum – “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War”
• Oklahoma Law Student Scholarship Awards

Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) continues to allow the foundation to increase its charitable work on behalf of the legal community. The record keeping for mandatory IOLTA has progressed to the point that the program is working smoothly and is an example of the cooperation between the OBA and OBF. This year the foundation estimates collections will be $700,000 from IOLTA. Without these funds, the foundation cannot serve its charitable clients in the manner Oklahoma lawyers have come to expect.

The foundation operates with a very small staff. Nancy Norsworthy and her staff of J’Layne McClure and Marie Golloway work efficiently to accomplish the charitable mission of the foundation. Nancy and the staff are dedicated to enhancing the lives touched by the charitable distributions made by the lawyers of Oklahoma through the OBF.

OBA and OBF continue to work together to accomplish their related missions. Each organization operates in a way that is respectful of the other. The foundation operates under the rules and regulations of all organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The bar association operates under the auspices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Each endeavors to better the public understanding and respect for the legal profession.

The OBF’s Fellows program continues to grow. There are 143 Benefactor Fellows, 196 Sustaining Fellow and 1,045 Fellows. All of us need to encourage lawyers we know to join the Fellows program. Choose to make a difference today by becoming an OBF Fellow.

Sincerely,
Hal Wm. Ellis