2011 Volunteers of the Year
Each year more than 150 corporations and law firms and more than 800 individual attorneys respond to the Pro Bono Partnership's call to provide free legal assistance to its clients, nonprofit organizations serving the poor or providing other important social and community services in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
In any given year, the dedication of some volunteers rises well above the ordinary, distinguished by the complexity or transformative nature of a pro bono project, the extraordinary responsiveness of a volunteer or volunteers or the sheer volume of matters or time committed to pro service through the Partnership. It is the Partnership's practice to celebrate the commitment of these extraordinary volunteers by naming them Volunteers of the Year.
The Pro Bono Partnership is pleased to announce its 2011 Volunteers of the Year:
Outstanding Corporate Legal Department
Merck & Co., Inc.
Outstanding Law Firm
Jackson Lewis LLP
Outstanding Volunteers
Patricia Bowen, UnitedHealthcare
Melanie L. Brown, BASF
Greg Conroy, Mayer Brown LLP
Sally Lake
Outstanding Nonprofit Project of 2011
Bethsaida Community, Inc., Norwich, CT
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
Homeless Women Deserve Treatment Project
This project provides treatment to 545 homeless women in southeastern Connecticut, including substance abuse and mental health services, and assistance with helping clients gain employment, education, stability in housing and avoidance of criminal activity. Noting that Bethsaida was awarded its SAMHSA grant unexpectedly and had to double its capacity practically overnight, the Pro Bono Partnership commends the substantial work of the volunteers who made this project possible, including, Stephen Bosworth, United Healthcare Group Legal; Tiffany Hubbard and Pam Moore, McCarter & English; Stephen Bier and Krystyna Blakeslee, Dechert; and Jane Wright-Mitchell and Jennifer Kronick, Purdue Pharma.