The Tampa office of Adams and Reese helped make a wish come true through its sponsorship of a holiday reception to benefit Make-A-Wish Southern Florida on Wednesday afternoon at the Bank of America Plaza, where it was revealed that Make-A-Wish would send four-year-old cancer recoveree Ellie York and her family to the San Diego Zoo.
The benefit was part of the firm’s HUGS program (Hope, Understanding, Giving and Support) as nearly 100 clients, friends, executives, board members and volunteers from Make-A-Wish Southern Florida joined attorneys and staff of Adams and Reese in making the announcement to the York family.
The trip to the San Diego Zoo was granted through a generous donation by Eric Zorn, a client of the firm, who donated the entire cost of the York family’s trip. In addition, Ellie – along with sisters Eva and Nora – also received stickers, coloring utensils, coloring books, stuffed animals, dolls and more, and an Adams and Reese staff member donated a limo ride to the Tampa airport to send off the family in style.
The event also generated more than $3,000 in donations from clients, staff, attorneys and the firm, which will go toward helping other local Make-A-Wish families. All told, more than $12,000 was collected during the holiday reception to make Ellie and her fellow Make-A-Wish patrons’ wishes come true.
Founded in 1988 by partner and Pro Bono Paladin Mark Surprenant, the Adams and Reese’s HUGS program is the embodiment of the idea that the firm’s success is directly related to the quality of life within the communities it serves. Through HUGS, attorneys and staff across the firm’s regional footprint have donated volunteer time and financial resources to more than 200 partner organizations in various philanthropic projects throughout the year.
A fundamental commitment to volunteerism is a deep-rooted characteristic of Adams and Reese. Even as faces around the firm may change over the years, Adams and Reese employees have a sense of community spirit that keeps our HUGS program alive.
ABOUT ADAMS AND REESE LLP
Adams and Reese (http://www.adamsandreese.com) is a multidisciplinary law firm with nearly 300 attorneys and advisors strategically located in 18 offices across 17 markets throughout the southern United States and Washington, D.C. The American Lawyer includes Adams and Reese on its distinguished list of the nation’s top law firms – The Am Law 200. The National Law Journal also includes the firm among the top 200 on the NLJ 500 list of the nation’s largest law firms.
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