Member Spotlight
Birmingham Bar Foundation
The October Member Spotlight shines on the Birmingham Bar Foundation.
Their Mission:
The Birmingham Bar Foundation serves as the charitable arm of the Birmingham Bar Association. Established in 1994 and converted to a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit corporation in 2001, the Foundation functions to promote and support charitable work of the Association.
About the Organization
In 1994 the Birmingham Bar Foundation was incorporated as the charitable arm of the Birmingham Bar Association by the following visionary Birmingham Bar Association members: Ronnie Noojin, Edgar Elliott, Bill Clark, Edward Allen, Andrew Campbell, Bill Dawson, Tim Dillard, Warren Lightfoot, Rodney Max, Carol Sue Nelson, Alton Parker, Lee Pittman, Ferris Ritchey III, Bill Rose and Tom Woodall. These members became the initial Board of Directors for the Birmingham Bar Foundation, with Mr. Noojin serving as the President, Mr. Elliot serving as the Vice President, and Mr. Clark serving as the Secretary-Treasurer.
Today the Foundation supports a handful of projects and resources that give back to their community. Some of these include – the Birmingham Bar Foundation Fellows Endowment Program, the Appellate Court Oral Arguments in Birmingham, and the Resolve 2 Solve Conflict Resolution Program. You learn more and see a full list of what BBF supports here. (https://www.bbfound.org/new-index)
Grants and Charitable Activities
The BBF offers several grant programs and resources.
The first is the Birmingham Bar Foundation Grant Program. This program offers grants to local non-profit organizations that are engaged in legal-related projects or civics education projects. Most recently, in 2020, the program awarded grants to ReadWokeBham, Upward Bound, Vulcan Park and Museum, and YouthServe.
Next, is their Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides a way for Birmingham Bar Association members, their family and their friends to pay tribute to a Birmingham attorney, family member or friend. These gifts are used by the Birmingham Bar Association to award scholarships to second-year and third-year law students at Birmingham School of Law, Cumberland School of Law, Miles Law School and The University of Alabama School of Law.
Lastly, since 2009 the Birmingham Bar Foundation has been sponsoring the Michael D. Freeman Annual Bocce Ball Tournament. Net proceeds from the Bocce Ball Tournament provide funds to the organizations to assist with essential programs and services that provide access to justice for the poor, that facilitate civics education, and that promote legal engagement in their communities.
BBF Memorial Scholarship Fund
Staff and Leadership
The BBF’s Leadership Team consists of one executive director, president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. There are also 9 advisors to the board of directors as well. You can see BBF’s full Leadership Team here. (https://www.bbfound.org/leadership-1)
Follow Birmingham Bar Foundation on Instagram and Twitter
https://www.instagram.com/birminghambarfoundation/
https://twitter.com/bhambarfdn?lang=en
Sources:
https://www.bbfound.org/leadership-1