© 2016 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
(Aug. 31) – The 2015 Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Leadership Class made a record-setting donation this month to help elementary students who have fallen behind.
The Leadership Class presented a check for $53,041 to the nonprofit Communities in Schools for their Ketchup Saturday program, which specifically aids third-graders at a “make-or-break” point in their young academic lives. The previous high-donation mark made by the DAYL was $50,000.
DAYL President Stephanie Gause says she is “immensely proud” of the 2015 team.
“The DAYL Leadership Class program is one of our signature programs,” she said. “The bar was already set high and they exceeded it.”
Justin Gobert, DAYL secretary and a member of the 2015 Leadership Class, said he and a group of friends were introduced to the Ketchup Saturday program through a kickball team made up of young lawyers dubbed the “Ballable Hours.”
Gobert and his friends soon found out that Communities in Schools had lost a corporate grant that was significant to the operation of Ketchup Saturday. They decided this was an opportunity to meet the organization’s need.
The 2015 Leadership Class organized the “Dallas Bridge Bash” on the Continental Bridge to help “bridge the gap” in educational opportunities in the city.
More than 450 people attended and enjoyed entertainment from three bands, arts and crafts vendors, a radio station, a henna artist and a caricaturist. NFL Hall of Famer and Dallas Cowbys great Mel Renfro was also there signing autographs.
Leaders from Communities in Schools and the Ketchup Saturday program plan to make the “Dallas Bridge Bash” an annual fundraiser, Gobert says.
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