COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE

2008 ANNUAL REPORT

Co-Chairs:     Craig Trebilcock

                                    Jane Schussler

Members:       Angie Eveler

                                    Kristina Bange

                                    Judge Richard Renn

                                    Steve Stambaugh

                                    Tom Kearney

                                    Dawn Cutaia-Watchilla

I.           2008 Goals and Status Report.

                        A.        Raise community awareness of positive contribution of attorneys to community.  The committee worked in 2008, in consultation with the York County Bar Foundation, to raise the awareness in the York County community of the positive charitable, legal, and general community support activities in which Bar Association members participate to provide a better community in which to live.  A survey was transmitted to all YCBA members soliciting their community, charitable, and legal contributions to the community.  This information, supplemented by information regarding other committee and YCBA/YCBF programs during 2008 will be assembled for the first time in a 2008 annual community report.  This document is scheduled to be published in January 2009 and will take the form of an approximate eight-page, glossy formatted compilation of the positive contribution of Bar members.  The goal of this document is to raise the profile of Bar Association and Bar Foundation within the community in order to

(1) educate as to the important role the YCBA/YCBF fills in the community;

(2) to act as a promotional piece to improve the image of attorneys in our society generally; and

(3) to be a platform from which the YCBA/YCBF may seek funding and/or contributions from the general public in the future in support of any of its charitable initiatives.

                        The annual community report is intended to be an annual project going forward which will capture the highlights of the previous year’s activities within the YCBA/YCBF.

                        B.        Improve coordination with York County Bar Foundation initiatives.  The committee recognized over the past year that, while it is a committee of the York County Bar Association, many of its activities in support of the mission to promote the positive image of attorneys overlap with activities of the Bar Foundation.  In order to improve information flow and coordination between these two entities, a member of the York County Bar Foundation Board will be a permanent member of the YCBA Community Relations Committee.  For 2008 that member is Thomas Kearney.

                        During 2008 the Committee also worked with consultants retained by the Bar Association to improve and promote the information flow between the Association and Foundation regarding the image of attorneys and to enhance Committee procedures for preserving a record of Committee activities from year to year.

                        C.        Educating the public.  The Community Relations Committee was founded in part to provide a vehicle within the Association to be responsive to news matters of import to the community, and to respond to perceptions within the media or the public regarding legal matters in our community that may or may not be accurate.  During 2008 the need for timely response to information contained in the media became apparent, so Attorney Steven Stambaugh and Attorney Craig Trebilcock were designated as Committee members who, in coordination with the York County Bar Association President, will be first-line responders to community issues of legal note.

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