Be One. Have Impact.
by: Kelley Johnson, Attorney
I am privileged and honored to be the 2013 Indianapolis Bar Foundation President. The Indianapolis Bar Foundation is the charitable arm of the Indianapolis Bar Association. We are a fundraising organization. Our mission is to advance justice and lead positive change in Indianapolis through philanthropy, education and service. We accomplish this mission by having impact through service to our legal profession, through service to our Indianapolis community, and through education of our legal community.
The IBF funds programs that provide crucial assistance to a wide spectrum of our Indianapolis community – – from helping our homeless and local families in crisis to helping local business owners and those in hospice care. We help fund Ask A Lawyer – a one day community-wide event hosted at local libraries where those in need can seek free legal advice from an attorney. The Foundation also helps fund Legal Line – a monthly program where those in need can call an attorney for free legal advice. Another example of the great programs we fund is the Low Asset Wills Program, where qualified individuals can meet privately with an attorney who will draft a last will & testament and advance directives for them for free.
The IBF also awards a yearly single Impact Fund grant to a deserving Indianapolis community initiative that meets the IBF’s purpose and seeks to effect a substantial positive impact in central Indiana. In 2012, Reach for Youth’s Teen Court Project was selected to receive the $35,000 Impact Grant provided by the IBF. Teen Court is a program designed to reduce recidivism for first-time juvenile offenders by giving them a second chance to repair the harm they’ve caused without experiencing formal court prosecution – instead, the first-time offenders are judged and sentenced by a jury of their peers.
The Indianapolis Bar Foundation is proud to help support the Indianapolis community and its legal profession. While the Foundation Board of Directors have the great honor to present these funds to these worthy causes, the Foundation would not exist without the impact of individual Indianapolis Bar Association members who graciously and generously give to the Foundation. Our Board of Directors, made up entirely of IBA members, provide impact by volunteering their time and talent to not only fundraise but to also give their time to the pro bono programs the Foundation helps support. You, too, can make a difference. Each IBA member can make a tangible impact by donating to the IBF. No gift is too small, but imagine the impact that you can make by giving a donation equivalent to one billable hour of your time. The IBF is the only charitable organization of its kind serving Indianapolis. No one else is doing what the IBF does, and you can be a part of it. Be One. Have Impact. Support the Indianapolis Bar Foundation. Please donate your one billable hour here.
