by Daniel S. Robinson
It’s finally here! The event you’ve all been waiting for! On August 17th, the OCBA Charitable Fund celebrates its 11th Annual Raise Your Glass gala. Join OCBA members and distinguished guests as we congratulate this year’s incredible honorees, sample amazing wines from across California, and support over a dozen Orange County legal charities from the decks of the spectacular Newport Beach Country Club.
This year’s honorees include Community Partner of the Year, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Law Firm of the Year, Garcia & Artigliere—two entities who’ve both given back extraordinarily to Orange County. There will be a live auction featuring exciting trips, a silent auction with incredible items, amazing food, wonderful music, and the ever-popular “wine wall” where guests can purchase the opportunity to randomly pick from a variety of highly-rated wines. As 2023 President of the OCBA Charitable Fund, I invite you to register today at www.ocbar.org to join OCBA members in toasting our honorees and supporting Orange County legal charities at this truly wonderful event.
WHAT DOES THE OCBA CHARITABLE FUND DO? The OCBA Charitable Fund is the 501(c)(3) giving arm of the OCBA that is dedicated to supporting and assisting Orange County’s legal community with grants to OC charitable organizations. Earlier this year, the OCBA Charitable Fund was able to disburse over $195,000 to numerous legal charities, including the following:
Collaborative Courts Foundation Participant Assistance Program - $11,000
Community Legal Aid SoCal (CLA SoCal) Consumer Defense Program - $20,000
Constitutional Rights Foundation, Orange County (CRF OC) Civic Education Project - $35,000
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Orange County Mentor-Advocate Program - $5,000
Elder Law and Disability Rights Center (ELDR Center) Shelter Residents Rights Advocacy - $12,500
Human Options Legal Advocacy for Domestic Violence Survivors - $ 8,000
Laura's House Legal Advocacy for Domestic Violence Survivors - $8,000
OCBF Project Youth SHORTSTOP and STOP SHORT of Addiction Programs - $7,500
Orange County Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership (OC GRIP Foundation) "OC GRIP" Mission - To keep students on path towards success and away from criminal street gangs. - $4,000
Orange County Justice Fund (OCJF) Pro se deportation defense services for OC residents and families - $6,000
Public Law Center (PLC) Orange County Pro-Bono Project - $30,000
Radiant Futures (formerly Women's Transitional Living Center) Survivor Immigration Legal Services - $8,000
UC Irvine School of Law Pre-Law Outreach Program - $7,500
UC Irvine School of Law Saturday Academy of Law (SAL) - $7,500
Veterans Legal Institute Virtual Pro Bono Veteran Legal Clinics for Orange County Veteran Hotspots and Homelessness Prevention - $25,000
On April 20, 2023, the OCBA Charitable Fund hosted its Annual Kenneth Lae Charity Golf Tournament at Pelican Hill Golf Course—the first of its two major fundraising events—to raise money for Orange County charities. The successful event was a perfect day for networking and philanthropy in the sun.
THE 2023 HONOREES Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Community Partner of the Year For over six decades, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have demonstrated a deep and abiding commitment to our Orange County community. The Angels support numerous programs aimed at helping underprivileged youth, including: the Orange County Grip program, through which the Angels have honored over 1,500 local students who’ve participated in legal education put on by the Orange County District Attorney’s office and local law enforcement concerning the life impacts of criminal behavior and gang involvement; the Angels Adopt-A-School Program, which for fifteen years has supported youth involvement in STEM and other educational programs at five local elementary schools throughout Orange County; and the Angels Scholarship Program, which since 2018 has provided 151 college scholarships for underprivileged high-school seniors at a cost of over $3 million. Plus, the Angels have graciously hosted over 20 OCBA events at Angels Stadium since 2002. OCBA applauds the Angels for using their incredible platform to accomplish good for Orange County.
Garcia & Artigliere – Law Firm of the Year The law firm of Garcia & Artigliere has been a consistent supporter of the OCBA Charitable Fund and its charities for many years. Over the last six years, Garcia & Artigliere has raised more money for the Charitable Fund than any other law firm, typically giving at the highest levels for every event. That remains true this year where the firm graciously agreed to be the Champagne Sponsor for the 2023 Raise Your Glass event. On a personal level, law firm partner Bill Artigliere has shown a deep commitment to the many charities helped by the Charitable Fund, served on the Charitable Fund’s Golf Committee, and helped secure numerous auction items for Charitable Fund events. Garcia & Artigliere has been a true supporter of the Charitable Fund and its work, and we are proud to honor them this year.
THANK YOU TO THE HELPERS AND SUPPORTERS BEHIND THE SCENES This event could not be possible without the generous support of all of the law firms, corporate sponsors, and individual donors who’ve contributed to the OCBA Charitable Fund. We are so fortunate to have so many members that understand the importance of supporting our local legal charitable organizations.
A very big thanks also goes to the 2023 co-chairs Raise Your Glass chairs Nikki Miliband, Christina Zabat-Fran, and Deirdre Kelly (aka, the “Three Amigas”), as well as the Wine Committee co-chairs Howard Privette and Kate Corrigan, and the Auction Committee co-chairs Kelly Galligan and Danielle Mayer. I also want to give a big thanks to OCBA CEO Trudy Levindofske, Associate Executive Director Christine Wilbur, Education Administrator Brystin Davy, Director of Operations Dennis Slaughter, and all the other wonderful OCBA staff who are working tirelessly behind the scenes to make the event a wonderful night.
We are so fortunate to live and work in a legal community where so many lawyers graciously give of their time and resources to make a difference in the lives of others. For those of you who are interested in helping support the Charitable Fund and its charities, make a contribution to the Charitable Fund or join us at Newport Beach Country Club on August 17th.
Daniel S. Robinson is the Immediate Past President of the Orange County Bar Association, the OCBA Charitable President, a former chair of the Charitable Fund Golf Committee, and a partner at Robinson Calcagnie, Inc. He can be reached at drobinson@robinsonfirm.com.