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NWFPA Supports Paralegals & Community Service in a Big Way

By Lynne DeVenny

by Judy Williamson

The Northwest Florida Paralegal Association is a group of Escambia and Santa Rosa County professional paralegals who meet monthly on the last Tuesday of each month. Our organization provides continuing legal education and support for our members, and conducts many community charity events. We also offer student memberships to paralegal studies students in the local college and university paralegal studies programs, provide guest speakers to those programs, and conduct an annual scholarship essay contest.

Every fall we assist in the collection of food for the Manna Food Drive with collection points at various law firms. We also collect and deliver school supplies for the local ?Cram the Van? charity drive. We have a Salvation Army Stockings collection drive among all the legal community to stuff ?Christmas Stockings? for the needy children in our community. The stockings collected are stuffed and grouped in age groups for girls and boys, making it easier for distribution by the Salvation Army when they are delivered to the children.

One of our most popular activities is our ?Christmas Auction.? We ask local merchants and service businesses to donate an item or items, or a service to our auction. We have had some wonderful items from fabulous restaurants; big ticket jewelry stores; massages, spas, pedicures and other spa activities; stitchery gifts; hair cuts and tinting; special wines; tickets to local events; specialty gift stores; bakeries; and the list goes on. The auction is held during an extended lunch hour by our association with invites to the local legal community, and it is conducted by a professional auctioneer. We have a lot of fun while we raise a lot of money that we donate to the Children?s Services Center.

The Children?s Services Center is an important charity in our community. They offer services to both parents and children. Because of donations like ours to the Children?s Services Center, they are able to assist parents so they can build the kinds of caring and nurturing environments children need. The Parent Place offers gently used books and toys to be provided to the children. The Milton Child Care Center offers high quality child care so even the lowest wage-working parent can continue to work. They teach survival skills for women; classes to parents for budgeting, employability, parenting; and, healthy living skills. Through the Swan Home, young men with severe behavioral concerns are being taught new behaviors and to grow in new ways. These services are not providing a handout, but help the children and their families lead more productive and nurturing lives. The more that we can help the Children?s Services Center, the more they continue with their important work. We are proud that we can assist them.

Lynne, we would love to have you come to one of our meetings. We meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Just let us know when you can come.
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Practical Paralegalism is proud to share NWFPA's activities, and is working hard to convince her spouse that beautiful Pensacola, famous for its mild winter, is in our vacation budget - but that we have to be there on a fourth Tuesday (preferably in January or February). After I blogged about NWFPA's nomination for a 2009 Children's Award by the Children's Champions of Northwest Florida, I asked the group's president, Lydia Herrera Brackett, ACP, FRP, if they would be willing to contribute a guest post about their significant commitment to community service. (Ms. Brackett also responded to Robert Mongue's request for additional information at The Empowered Paralegal.)

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on April 19, 2010 (boomark / email).