Tag: community

Kathryn Taylor Graduates from the Leadership Fairfax Institute

Posted on by The Land Lawyers

Written By Leah Smith, Summer Intern

Our own Kathy Taylor graduated from the Leadership Fairfax Institute (LFI) this past weekend, having completed the 10 month program. LFI trains individuals to become more effective leaders, and to take initiative in their own communities. Participants are taught, using a continuous improvement model, to engage with others, brainstorm creative solutions, and identify and resolve issues facing the community. Study groups, training seminars, and interactions with community decision makers

By learning from and connecting with peers, program members deepen their leadership competencies, focus their leadership vision, and gain an in-depth knowledge about Fairfax county engagement. Others in our office who have completed this program include Lynne Strobel – now an LFI board member – and Bob Brant. Lynne affirms that “The Leadership Fairfax Institute provides a solid foundation to engage in those issues most critical to Fairfax County. I am proud to serve on its Board, and am delighted that Bob Brant, Class of 2019, and Kathy Taylor, Class of 2021, chose to complete the program. As a result of his experience in LFI, Bob now serves on the Board of Langley Residential Support Services.” The effects of the LFI program are pronounced as many graduates become community leaders. We are excited for Kathy and will be thrilled to witness the continuous benefits of the LFI program.

Good Deeds – Michael Coughlin

Posted on by Antonia Miller
Michael Coughlin
Source: Susan Lynch

On Saturday, April 29, Mike Coughlin will take a break from his busy eminent domain practice to lead a group of volunteers who will be repairing and rehabilitating homes for community members in need in the City of Alexandria. For the past four and one-half years, Mike has been a member of the Board of Directors of Rebuilding Together Alexandria and over the years, has participated in National Rebuilding Day. On National Rebuilding Day in 2016, more than 700 volunteers donated time and materials to Alexandrians in need.

Mike looks forward to National Rebuilding Day each year saying, “It provides me the opportunity to give back to the City of Alexandria, where I live, by assisting with home improvement projects.” Several of the homes Mike has worked on in the past are within walking distance of his own home, and, as he points out, he is lucky to now know several neighbors. Last year, through his work with Rebuilding Together Alexandria, Mike was part of a team that helped a former City of Alexandria bus driver complete much needed health and safety related repairs throughout his home, including major repairs like installing new windows and other significant work like installing a microwave and light in the kitchen. Mike found it especially rewarding to give back to someone who had previously served the City of Alexandria.

Although National Rebuilding Day is its biggest annual event, Rebuilding Together Alexandria also provides services to residents of the community year round through other programs. The Safe and Healthy Homes Initiative strives to make the homes of low-income homeowners in the City safe and healthy through renovation projects, completed at no cost to them. The goal is to help members of the community who are elderly and/or living on a fixed income to remain in a safe and comfortable home. Another initiative, the Community Strong Program, partners with the City to improve public spaces including parks and school areas. Through the Home of Your Own Program, Rebuilding Together Alexandria purchases and renovates homes with the goal of selling them, at cost, to first-time homebuyers. The Community Strong Initiate partners with sponsors and City of Alexandria agencies to improve community spaces like parks and playgrounds. Rebuilding Together Alexandria also hosts an annual fundraiser, Raise the Roof, at Port City Brewing Company, which the firm has sponsored in past years.

Mike has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rebuilding Together Alexandria and helped establish the development committee responsible for fundraising. The skills Mike has honed as an attorney, and through his eminent domain practice, including his commitment to fostering client relationships, have helped him to attract new sponsors to Rebuilding Together Alexandria.

Mike sees his involvement in Rebuilding Together Alexandria as a logical synergy of his skills and interests and the firm’s clients. As Mike points out, “Lawyers have a unique set of skills that can help serve and improve the community, non-profits, or other organizations. We owe it to our communities to draw on those skills and give back.”

To anyone interested in contributing to National Rebuilding Day, Mike assures me that if you can pick up a paintbrush, you can help. To anyone who would like to contribute but is unable to participate in person, funds can be contributed in the form of a sponsorship.

Matching Skills with a Passion to Serve Forms an Enduring Partnership in the Community

Posted on by Antonia Miller
Transaction attorney, Bill Fogarty
Source: Susan Lynch

On an unseasonably warm day in late September, I sat down with Bill Fogarty (no relation to John Fogerty, of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame) to talk about his community involvement and volunteer work.

Bill is a shareholder in the Arlington office and has been with the firm for more than 30 years. He works in the Real Estate Transactions and Commercial Business Transactions practice group. Bill’s initial introduction to community involvement came through his two daughters and their school activities, and as a coach and club manager for the Arlington Soccer Association. But, over time, his community involvement and volunteer work evolved.

Today, Bill is a Power Lunch Reading Mentor with Everybody Wins! DC, serves on the Board of Directors of the Walter T. McCarthy Law Library, and is a member of the governance committee for Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH). Bill has been able to use his skills as a real estate attorney to help APAH as it has grown over the past 25 years from a fledgling non-profit committed to developing, preserving, owning, and advocating for quality affordable housing in Arlington to an organization whose real estate portfolio includes 14 properties valued at more than $200 million. At its annual fundraising celebration last year, Bill was recognized as one of the 2015 APAH Affordable Housing Honorees for his 20-year commitment to the partnership and his involvement in the Arlington community.

Bill, who taught high school English before going to law school, believes volunteering and community involvement help create empathy and build relationships. “In real estate law we really need to know the community. It is good to get out of the office and see what the community is like and where the needs are, especially because the projects we work on, as real estate lawyers, affect the community.” Bill believes community involvement and volunteer work have broadened his perspective and made him a better lawyer and a more effective advocate for his clients.

If you are looking to get involved and trying to decide which organizations to devote your time to, Bill suggests you consider what energizes and challenges you, and where curiosity leads you. “Passion and interests are important, but so are your skills. Try to fit those skills to a need.” And because balancing work demands with community and volunteer obligations can be a challenge, Bill offers this advice: set realistic goals, work efficiently, and understand your priorities.