by Larisa M. Dinsmoor
Please join us in a shotgun start to raise money for our local, legal based organizations. What better way to do so than at the 38th annual Kenneth Lae Golf Tournament on May 23, 2022, at the Monarch Beach Golf Links. Beautiful course . . . check. Raise money for organizations that need our support . . . check. In-person post-golf ceremony and reception . . . check. What more can you ask for after more than two years of covid restrictions?
The Monarch golf course is beautiful. It is described as “one of only a handful of oceanfront golf courses throughout California” and is fashioned as a “one-of-a-kind golf course design—challenging and fair, with views of surf breaks on every hole.” So, leave your Zoom behind and enjoy a little friendly competition with your colleagues and friends that you haven’t seen much of during these last two years.
What if you don’t know how to golf? We have an “app,” I mean program, for that. It’s the inaugural “Get Ready to Golf” team training created by Golf Committee Co-Chair and avid golfer, Teresa McQueen, Corporate Counsel at Western Growers Association. Golf can be intimidating to us neophytes. Myself included. Knowing and fearing that I may actually have to golf as this year’s Charitable Fund President, I implored Teresa to help me and others to prepare to play eighteen holes. The “Get Ready to Golf” training schedule will include one-to-three group golf lessons, a list of pro-suggested online training videos to keep you motivated and to aid in training, a golf etiquette lesson, and the opportunity for live play with other participating team members in advance of the tournament. Teresa explains: “The Get Ready to Golf program is designed to provide a way for members to contribute that is non-traditional and encouraging of those who would not normally participate due to cost, lack of experience as a golfer, or insecurities about their current level of play.” If you are interested in joining the team, please email Teresa at TMcQueen@wga.com.
If I still haven’t convinced you to participate in the golf tournament, I encourage you to join us at the post-golf ceremony and reception. The post-golf ceremony is a joyful event where you can meet and mingle with friends, colleagues, and judges. We haven’t been able to have this event recently, so let’s tee off together in May!
If you are feeling under par and can’t participate in person, please consider sponsoring the event. There are many levels of sponsorship. Golf Committee Co-Chair Jim Pack explains: “In addition to honoring the legacy of Judge Lae, the sponsorship and underwriting options provide an opportunity to give back to the legal community and promote your business.” To become a sponsor, please email events@ocbar.org. All proceeds of this event go to support Orange County legal based organizations that help our greater community. The OCBA’s mission is to “Enhance the System of Justice, To Support the Lawyers Who Serve It, and To Assist the Community Served By It.” The Charitable Fund and its events assist our community. The pandemic continues to wreak havoc on our most vulnerable populations. Our charitable giving is vital to our community, which continues to need our help. If you cannot attend or sponsor the event, please take a mulligan and make a donation to the OCBA Charitable Fund at http://www.ocbacf.org/. Every donation, small or large, makes a difference. Last year we raised $170,000.00, which will be given in grants to the following organizations:
California Youth Connection, Creating Leaders from Within Chapman University, Bette and Wylie Aitken Family Protection Clinic Collaborative Courts Foundation, Transportation and Employee Assistance Program Constitutional Rights Foundation Orange County (CRF), Civic Education Program Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Mentor-Advocate Program Human Options, Legal Advocacy Program Laura’s House, Legal Advocacy Program Legal Aid Society of Orange County, Legal Aid in Action: Homeless Outreach Orange County Bar Foundation, Project SELF (Summer Employment in Law Firms) Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center Public Law Center UCI Law School Foundation, Pre Law Outreach Program UCI Law School Foundation, Saturday Academy of Law Veterans Legal Institute, Legal Clinics Women’s Transitional Living Center (WTLC)
For those of you who attended the OCBA’s Annual Grant Giving Reception last month, you learned firsthand how your donations have impacted residents.
A special thank you to the Golf Committee who secured the spectacular Monarch Beach Golf Course (Teresa McQueen, Jim Pack, Chris Ross), our OCBA staff, and Carole Martinez who logistically puts the event together. This popular event sells out every year so please visit www.ocbacf.org to register now.
On another positive note, OCBA’s Raise Your Glass gala is scheduled for August 25, 2022, at the Newport Beach Country Club. This is another great opportunity to get together in person and serve our greater community while having fun doing it. Please save the date.
I look forward to seeing you at the “Get Ready to Golf Team Training,” on the green, or at the post-golf ceremony and reception. Here’s to a hole in one for our community!
Larisa M. Dinsmoor is the current Charitable Fund President and an aspiring golfer.