OCTLA’s charitable giving campaign

Association to raise money for “A Walk on Water,” providing surf therapy to children with disabilities, both congenital and traumatic

2020 April

This year OCTLA is making a strong push to increase charitable work and giving back to our community. I am very proud to report that the work has already begun, and it has been a lot of fun bringing about this philanthropic goal.

On February 6, 2020, Cynthia Craig, Esq. (President Elect) and I had the incredible opportunity of participating in the Orange County Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF-OC). CRF-OC is a high school mock trial competition that teams up members of the legal community with various Orange County schools, and educates students on the practice of law while promoting the importance of legal justice. I was very honored, on behalf of OCTLA, to award the Top Orator Award which includes a student scholarship paid for by OCTLA. This scholarship is awarded annually by OCTLA and we look forward to continuing our annual scholarships to the many top-notch and deserving students.

As many of you may have heard, Working Wardrobes, a local Orange County non-profit that provides work attire and training to job seekers in need, suffered a fire that gutted its Irvine headquarters. On February 27, 2020, OCTLA had a clothing drop off drive at its monthly MCLE seminar. The seminar, entitled Bias Inside & Outside the Courtroom, had well over 100 people in attendance, and I am very happy to say we collected many articles of business clothing and shoes to help Working Wardrobes replenish its lost inventory.

Each year OCTLA selects a charity to honor and help raise funds through our Annual Top Gun Awards ceremony which will be held November 14, at the Hotel Irvine. We are very excited to announce this year we will be honoring “A Walk on Water.” AWOW provides surf therapy to children with disabilities, both congenital and traumatic. AWOW believes that “the ocean’s transformative properties empower [its] participants, who enjoy a much-deserved day of laughter, love, and acceptance alongside their family.” In allowing participants to spend time in the water and surf with trained surf therapists, they “gain confidence through the magical thrill of a walk on water, experience the true ‘stoke’ of surfing and a sense of pride and accomplishment.” OCTLA is eager to help with such an incredible cause, and we are very happy to work alongside AWOW.

In addition to its charitable work, OCTLA is moving forward with its busy schedule. On April 27th, OCTLA will hold our annual Pre-Justice Day Party after the CAOC Legislative Reception. By popular demand, OCTLA will be returning our Pre-Justice Day Party to Vallejo’s Restaurant. For those of you signed up to attend CAOC’s Justice Day, you will not want to miss out. Please join OCTLA for tacos, margaritas, and lots of fun!

OCTLA and the Consumer Attorneys of Inland Empire (CAOIE) are working hard to deliver another amazing Palm Springs Seminar at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage. The event will kick off on Thursday (April 30th) with the CAOIE golf tournament. The welcome reception and seminar event will take place on May 1st. We look forward to seeing you all at the daily seminars, the nightly fireside gatherings, and at the many dinner events that go on during the weekend. The Palm Springs event is a wonderful opportunity to learn and have a great time. If you are interested in attending, you can sign up for the event at OCTLA.org or CAOC.org. The seminar is filling up fast, so please act quickly. Sponsorships are also available. (Sorry, seminar canceled)

We are having a wonderful year at OCTLA including our charitable work and many upcoming events. We thank you all for the continued support.

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