With annual contributions from the firm for the next century, each year the Barber Law Firm Century Fund will distribute a portion of its annual earnings to a designated nonprofit partner. Designed to generate approximately $8 million in charitable contributions over the next century, the fund will produce greater impact each year with total annual distributions of approximately $250,000 by 2110.
Centers For Youth & Families Selected As Century Fund’s 2011-2012 Nonprofit Partner
The Barber Law Firm is proud to announce the selection of Centers For Youth & Families as the Barber Law Firm Century Fund’s Nonprofit Partner for 2011-2012.
“We want to support efforts that are making a difference in people’s lives today while impacting them for years to come,” says Joe Kolb of the Barber Law Firm. “The mission of Centers For Youth & Families is a perfect fit.”
Centers For Youth & Families, the oldest continuously operating not-for-profit in the state, provides specialized prevention, intervention, and treatment services to Arkansas children and families to promote their emotional and social wellness.
In addition to a financial contribution, the Barber Law Firm will provide volunteer time and other resources to help create awareness for Centers For Youth & Families and its programs. The Barber Law Firm is especially pleased to provide primary support for a new training program, Mental Health First Aid, garnering attention nation-wide. Centers For Youth & Families will initially offer the program to school personnel and community members to help them better understand mental illness and how to react in a mental health crisis situation.
“Just as traditional first aid or CPR equips us to help with a physical injury or a medical emergency, Mental Health First Aid prepares us with a five step plan to use in assisting a person who is developing or experiencing a mental health crisis,” says Sharon Long, M.S., Parent Education Coordinator for Centers For Youth & Families.
“We are excited to partner with the Barber Law Firm to offer Mental Health First Aid training as a resource to all of our community,” says Doug Stadter, President and CEO of Centers For Youth & Families. “The program will provide all of us with the tools to recognize the symptoms of mental illness and a practical approach to helping our friends and family members who are dealing with this condition. Our community will be strengthened by reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues.”
All of the more than 100 counselors in the Little Rock School District will receive Mental Health First Aid training starting this month.
Mental Health First Aid Trainings Free To Public In 2012
Support from the Barber Law Firm Century Fund will allow two Mental Health First Aid training workshops to be offered to the public at no charge in 2012. Both will be two-day workshops.
The first public training workshop will be held March 1 & 2. The second public training will be held May 10 & 11. For more information or to reserve a spot, please contact Sharon Long at slong@cfyf.org or by phone at 501-666-6833.
Details will be available soon at www.centersforyouthandfamilies.org.
2010-2011 Barber Law Firm Century Fund nonprofit partner:
Diabetes Research Working Group at Arkansas Children's Hospital
Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases among children and claims 215,000 lives annually in the United States. A little more than 100 years ago, researchers identified insulin, the current leading treatment for diabetes. The firm's inaugural contribution to the Diabetes Research Working Group at Arkansas Children's Hospital was made in the hope that, before the close of our next century, researchers will have identified a cure for this chronic disease. We have no doubt that the diabetes research team at Arkansas Children's Hospital will continue to lead the way in support of that goal.
NOMINATION & SELECTION PROCESS
Nominations for the Barber Law Firm Century Fund's nonprofit partner are made annually through an online nomination process. Qualified nominees will first be considered by the Barber Law Firm Century Fund Committee, which will make a recommendation to the full Barber Law Firm Board of Directors.
BENEFITS FOR NONPROFIT PARTNER
In addition to a $5,000 contribution to the selected nonprofit organization, the Barber Law Firm Century Fund will seek to create awareness of the nonprofit and its mission with a public announcement event seeking media coverage, by publishing information about the nonprofit in the Barber Law Firm newsletter, placing information and a link to the nonprofit's Web site at www.barberlawfirm.com, and spreading the news of the partnership to our clients via the firm's annual holiday card mailing.
GUIDELINES FOR NOMINATIONS
With so many outstanding nonprofit organizations making an impact in the state, the Barber Law Firm has established the following guidelines and suggestions to help evaluate the nominations received and ultimately to select one designated nonprofit partner each year.
- Must be a qualifying 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization
- Must be based in Arkansas or make a significant contribution or impact in the state
- Must contribute to a social, educational, medical, cultural, or philanthropic mission that enhances the overall quality of life in Arkansas
SUGGESTIONS FOR NOMINATIONS
- Provide detailed examples of how the nominated organization impacts the lives of those it serves and how the service or mission benefits society as a whole
- Provide information about how the nominated organization plans to use the contribution from the Barber Law Firm Century Fund and the difference this contribution will make or benefits it will deliver
- Consider and outline options for possible projects or events that the Barber Law Firm could participate in to help create awareness for the Century Fund as well as the nominated organization and its mission
- Discrete, unique projects/programs with greatest impact are favored
