We received the following from Lindsey Spain, class of 2012, who is currently an associate at Thomas, Ferguson & Mullins in Durham, North Carolina:
I was elected to the Durham
County Bar Association’s Board of Directors in 2014, and I knew that I wanted
my time on the Board to be about more than just showing up to luncheons and
networking with fellow attorneys. I believe that, as attorneys, we owe it to
our local community to give back and help make our communities stronger. The
DCBA has a long history of charity work and community involvement by providing
scholarships to law students with Durham ties and providing Christmas gifts to
families in need. For years, the Durham County Bar Association also sponsored a
very successful charity golf tournament to raise money for various local
non-profit organizations, but I suggested planning a 5k that could possibly
appeal to a wider market of people. If you don’t play golf or have access to
clubs, it is really difficult to commit to playing in a golf tournament, but
walking or running a 5k takes little effort and no special skill set. Plus, I had developed a love of running after
law school to help with stress relief and had participated in several races by
this point, so this was an activity that I knew something about and would enjoy
planning. The Board was supportive and enthusiastic of the event, so we started
planning the Raising the Bar 5k.
In Durham, there are so many
fantastic non-profit organizations that provide countless services to the
Durham community, so deciding on a charity that would benefit from the 5k was a
bit daunting. We partnered with Bull City Running Company in Durham in
presenting the event, and one of the owners asked me if I had considered
Kidznotes. I had never heard of Kidznotes until she mentioned it, so I did some
research and was immediately impressed by the organization and their mission.
If you’re not familiar with Kidznotes, they provide free music education to
children in Title I schools in Durham. They supply each student with an
instrument, 10 hours of music instruction per week, and opportunities for
recitals and summer camps. Music has always been a large part of my own life.
My parents afforded me the opportunity to begin piano lessons when I was 4 and
later enrolled me in violin, voice, and music composition lessons. Music was,
and still is, an outlet and escape for me, and I can’t imagine what my life
would have been like without it in my life. When I learned that Kidznotes is
opening the world of music up to children who may otherwise never be exposed to
it, I knew that this was a special organization and one that the DCBA would be
honored to sponsor.
The inaugural Raising the Bar 5k
was held on Saturday, September 26, 2015 and had an excellent turnout despite
the drizzling rain. Judges, lawyers, and community members supported the event
by volunteering, donating, or participating in the race. We had over 100 people
register to either run or walk the event. Several local businesses including
Massage Envy, Tobacco Road Café, and the Durham Bulls donated items that were
raffled among all participants at the end of the race. Kidznotes sent a trio of
young musicians to perform at the start and finish line, and a local Girl Scout
troop earned their volunteer badges by helping with the event. I am thankful
for everyone who supported the race, and I am thankful for all of the work that
Kidznotes does for our community. I hope that the donation raised by the DCBA
will help further their cause.
While at UNC School of Law, I was
fortunate enough to participate in the Juvenile Justice Clinic during my third
year. Through the clinic, I became passionate about representing juvenile clients
and dealing with the unique situations they face. Particularly, I became
interested in thinking about ways that we can work towards keeping children out
of court from the outset. A common theme I noticed with my clients is that
their families were of low socioeconomic standing, and as a result, very few of
them were involved in extracurricular activities. Repeatedly, studies have
shown the importance of extracurricular activities, like music, in increasing a
child’s level of literacy, performance in school, and overall confidence.
Kidznotes is helping to break the barriers that keep children from low income
families from participating in the arts, and in turn, maybe they will be able
to keep even just one child from juvenile court. As Bono said, “Music can
change the world because it can change people.”
Posted by Tamar R. Birckhead on Fri. October 2, 2015 8:45 AM
Categories:
Clinic Alum Update, Youth Justice Clinic