Current and emeritus board members of the Oakland County Bar Foundation gathered for a photo before the 2017 Signature Event. Pictured are (front row, left to right) Gerald Gleeson, Veronica Leonard, Kaveh Kashef, Patrick McCarthy, and Elizabeth Luckenbach; (middle row) Michael Schloff, Patrick McCauley, Gerald Fisher, Shirley Kaigler, Victoria King, Marc Jerabek, Thomas Talerino, and Joseph Papelian; (back row) Michael Turco, David Plunkett, David Jones, Daniel Quick, Justin Cherfoli, and Mark Stern.
Photo by John Meiu
By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
Organizers of the 2021 Signature Event, the chief fund-raiser for the Oakland County Bar Foundation, are banking on the term “delayed gratification” as they map plans for this year’s get-together, which has been pushed back to the autumn due to the lingering effects of the pandemic.
Traditionally scheduled each spring, the Signature Event has been rescheduled for Thursday, Sept. 16 from 6:30-9 p.m. and will be staged at a new venue this year, according to Elizabeth Luckenbach and Charles Bullock, co-chairs of the fund-raiser.
“Last year, we were set to have the 2020 Signature Event as usual,” Luckenbach and Bullock wrote in a letter to potential sponsors. “Of course, it was postponed and eventually canceled. But because of our generous sponsors, the Oakland County Bar Foundation was still able to raise a significant amount to help us continue to fund projects for the upcoming year. This was important because during this pandemic, just like all of us, nonprofits have had to pivot and adapt their services and they would not have been able to do that as easily without our support.
“This year, as of now, our plan is to hold a smaller Signature Event to thank our sponsors,” Luckenbach and Bullock said. “This event will be limited to our sponsors, our trustees, and a few distinguished guests; will take place outdoors; and, of course, will follow all COVID-19 protocols. To accommodate this change, we moved the event to Orchard Lake Country Club overlooking beautiful Orchard Lake.”
The aftershocks from the pandemic, of course, continue to cast a cloud over fund-raising events for all nonprofit organizations, as organizers grapple with the need to reset expectations even as the demand for legal aid services increases.
The conundrum remains as perplexing today in a much-improved Michigan economy, where those charged with making the calls and pressing the flesh in search of donations are constantly challenged to surpass the amount of money raised in previous years.
“Given current numbers and restrictions, it is still possible we may not be able to hold this event as planned,” Luckenbach and Bullock cautioned. “However, that does not mean the OCBF can stop trying to raise funds. Access to legal aid and education is more important now than ever. To that end, we are asking that if you agree to sponsor this event this year, you allow us to transform your sponsorship into a donation if we were not able to hold the event – just like the vast majority of our sponsors did last year.”
In the spring of 2019, the last time the Signature Event took place as normal, the OCBF raised more than $238,000 to support local legal aid and education programs. Since 2002, the Foundation has contributed more than $2.6 million to various nonprofits. Proceeds from past event have assisted the important work of the Family Law Assistance Project, the University of Detroit Mercy Immigration Law Clinic, the Michigan Center for Civic Education Through Law, the Youth Law Conference, and Senior Law Day, among other worthwhile programs.
The OCBF focuses on providing access to justice by funding legal aid and education programs through the generous support of donors and volunteers. Founded in 1999, the Bar Foundation has grown to become a leader and trendsetter for law-based foundations nationally.
Those interested in sponsoring this year’s Signature Event can contact Katie Tillinger, deputy director of the Foundation, at (248) 334-3400 or by e-mail at Ktillinger@ocba.org.
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