LUNCH AND LAUGHS DEADLINE-9/1/16

       The deadline to register is THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, for the 6th Lunch and Laughs With A Legal Legend on Friday, September 9, 2016, at the Erickson Alumni Center in Morgantown, beginning at 11:30 AM, where the honored guest will be well known and well respected attorney, Robert M. “Bob” Steptoe, Jr.

       The “friendly” roasters are Attorney Susan Brewer, Energy Entrepreneur Ben Hardesty and Business Developer Jack Keeley—all from North Central WV. They will have the opportunity to tell stories and tales about Bob based upon their many personal experiences with him over the years.

       The Master of Ceremonies is WVU Provost Joyce McConnell, who previously served admirably as the WVU College of Law Dean and has had many interactions with Bob. The proceeds from the Lunch will be divided between Bob’s choice of student scholarships at the WVU College of Law and Bar Foundation grants.

       Sponsorships of $2,000 are provided a reserved table with 10 seats. Individual tickets can be purchased for $60. A majority of the amount is tax deductible.

       Make your reservations by SEPTEMBER 1 by contacting the Bar Foundation——-tom@wvbarfoundation.org —– 304-343-9823—P. O. 4845, Charleston, WV 25364.

       A Good Time for a Good Cause!  

      (Last year, a Bar Foundation grant was provided to Child Protect of Mercer County to assist victims of child abuse and neglect prevention—here is one successful result.)

      “Dan (not his real name, of course), a ten year old boy, began receiving therapy services at Child Protect when he was placed in foster care after being removed from his biological home due to drug endangerment and witnessing an attempted murder. Our therapist spent longer than usual in her first sessions attempting to establish rapport and build trust with Dan who was very closed-off and guarded. Over a period of time, as Dan began feeling comfortable with his foster family, he began opening up and making incremental progress in therapy. Our therapist made the most of Dan’s progress and by using trauma-focused therapeutic tools, began moving through the stages of the trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) with Dan.  As Dan continued to bond with his foster family, he began making great strides with therapy.  As Dan is now in the process of being adopted by his foster family, our therapist recently held a family session that went very well and incorporated Dan’s foster parents more substantially into his therapy. 

        Since beginning therapy at Child Protect, we have seen Dan go from an extremely introverted and guarded child who would sit with his head down while he waited for his therapy session to begin to a smiling, vibrant, and eager 10 year old boy full of stories about soccer, the beach and camp- all things that he is now experiencing for the first time.  With the tools he has learned to use over the course of his therapy at Child Protect, Dan is now ready to integrate fully into life with his supportive and loving foster family who will soon become his forever family.  We at Child Protect are thrilled to have been able to play a part in this success story as we now see all of the potential and possibilities that lay wide open for Dan in the future.”  

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     The Bar Foundation Board of Directors will hold its first quarterly meeting of the 2016-17 fiscal year on Thursday, September 1.        It will be the initial Board meeting for five new Board members—Ellen Cappellanti (Charleston), David Jividen (Wheeling), Christy Morris (Charleston), Gerard Stowers (Charleston) and Tracey Weber, III (Weston).

      The agenda will consist of numerous matters including the financial report, plans for a fundraising campaign, a review of the Justice Fund with the Investment Consultant and actions on Grants Committee recommendations.