Message from the President, January 2018

It’s hard to believe we have already arrived at the half-way point of my term as President and at the threshold of a brand new year.   Such a point in time provides a great opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year, and to envision the shape and scope of the year to come.   

“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier.’”

-Alfred Lord Tennyson

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.”

-Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline

I offer gratitude and appreciation to Diane Lowe for her energy, insights, enthusiasm, and commitment to our mission.  I extend my thanks and congratulations to our membership for making the past few months truly memorable.  For every person who served on our Board or a committee, helped financially or in-person at the Habitat House; donated money or delivered wrapped books to Jones Elementary School,  stuffed a backpack for BackPack Beginnings, served the less fortunate at the Potter’s House, sponsored a new attorney at the swearing-in ceremony, encouraged an attorney to join us at the Mix-n-Mingle,  presented a moving memorial for one of our former colleagues, applied their talents and time to ensure a professional and informative newsletter each month, volunteered for the Second Chance Project,  nominated deserving members for recognition for pro bono and community service, read books to the children at Hampton Elementary School, or helped us celebrate the season by planning our holiday party – Thank You!   Take a moment and think of the ripple effect of all the amazing accomplishments of our Bar since August.

As much as we achieved in the last year, there is much in store for our membership in the new year.  At the beginning of my term, I formed a committee dedicated to creating more opportunities to interact and network with our colleagues in the High Point Bar Association.  I am happy to say that, with the help of committee members Allie Petrova, Nicole Patino, Fred Hamlet, and Justice Edmonds, the GBA and HPBA will have two wonderful opportunities for fellowship!  Our first joint event is the “Battle of the Bars” trivia night on Thursday, January 25, 2018 at World of Beer.  The event will feature drinks and hors d’oeuvres starting at 6:00 p.m., and a dedicated trivia host starting at 7:00 p.m.  The GBA members in attendance will take on the HPBA members, and the winning bar will take home a trophy, to be kept until the next showdown.  Calling all GBA trivia buffs – we need you!  The second event will be a joint picnic with the HPBA at the Grasshoppers’ stadium on Sunday, May 20, 2018,
at 2:00 p.m.!

Also on the horizon is our annual Legal Aid Fundraiser at the Greensboro Science Center’s Aquarium on Saturday, February 17, 2018, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The event features beer and wine tasting, raffle prizes, and an incredible buffet of dinner and dessert.  Mark your calendars and please consider becoming a sponsor of this event or making a donation to this worthy cause.  Information to enable you to become a sponsor is included in this newsletter.

Thank you again for all of your commitment and energy.  Let’s carry that forward into 2018.  I wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy new year.