Adopt-a-school makes local YLS a "community partner".

• Position: Young Lawyers Section of the Palm Beach County Bar Association

Ironically located on the posh island of Palm Beach, Palm Beach Public Elementary school is populated by students from the poorest areas of the county. Through the Young Lawyers Section of the Palm Beach County Bar Association, these children are receiving much needed school supplies as well as essentials to get them through the year.

The YLS was informed by one of the administrators that many of their students had no beds or pillows and regularly slept on the floor with only a blanket. The YLS immediately began to help these children by deciding to adopt the entire school.

The "Adopt-A-School" project kicked off two years ago with the Back to School supply distribution. The students, who arrived without supplies, were able to select what they needed from backpacks and folders to pens and paper. Supplies were also given to the teachers to help with classroom needs.

The project co-chairs, Grier Pressly and Allison Kapner, worked hard to coordinate efforts of the YLS with area businesses, law firms, and the membership of the local bar. "Our primary goal was to make sure that the students and teachers had all the supplies and teaching materials that they needed," said Pressly.

This year, the project expanded to include four area specialty bars: the F. Malcolm Cunningham, Sr. Bar Association; the Hispanic Bar Association; Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Palm Beach County Chapter; and the B'Nai B'Rith Legal Justice Unit. Representatives from these groups and the YLS began last year to expand the project.

This expansion resulted in the group adopting a second school, Roosevelt Elementary School, which has a rule that all backpacks must be clear. A local distributor was found to provide 200 clear backpacks, all funded by the project. Between the two schools, supplies were distributed to approximately 400 students.

"One of the missions of the Palm Beach County Bar Association is to give back to the community," said Patience Burns...