We The Action is thrilled to award the January 2021 Amicus Mundi Award to a lawyer from Connecticut.
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Every month, we honor an outstanding lawyer from our community of more than 41,000 volunteer lawyers who exemplifies our ideals of service and volunteerism.
We’re proud to award the first Amicus Mundi Award winner of 2021 to a lawyer from Connecticut who went above and beyond to help an upstart nonprofit advance their mission of empowering inner city student-athletes.
** Congratulations, Anna Dugbartey!
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The big picture: A lawyer practicing in New York, Anna was nominated for the Amicus Mundi Award by the Ohio nonprofit she helped become a 501(c)(3) organization.
* Despite a time-consuming day job, Anna says the events of the past months motivated her to seek other opportunities to further causes she believes in.
* That’s how Anna connected with the Get Everything U Foundation, a Cincinnati-based organization focused on educational support, coaching, and training for student-athletes.
* Anna helped Get Everything U navigate the legal process to become a 501(c)(3) organization, opening the door to new funding and programming possibilities.
Get Everything U is one of 34 nonprofit organizations that WTA volunteer lawyers have helped incorporate, saving the nonprofits thousands of dollars and helping them focus on making an impact in their community!
A history of activism: Originally from Haiti, Anna says volunteerism gives her joy and considers it a calling for lawyers to give back.
* Anna started volunteering her legal skills in 2017 after President Trump signed his Executive Order banning foreign nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries from visiting the U.S.
* That same day, Anna and a friend drove to JFK Airport in New York to help immigrants and travelers navigate the new restrictions.
* “That is what we’re called to do as lawyers,” Anna says. “It was heart-warming to see how many lawyers came to JFK looking to help.”
“A perfect marriage from the start.” Anna volunteered to help Get Everything U because she believes education is a critical resource for young people, especially in communities of color.
* “Anna was great from the jump,” said Brian Westbrook Sr., Founder & President of Get Everything U. “She was incredibly professional and worked around our schedule, and we are forever grateful for that.”
* Westbrook says that their new 501(c)(3) status will help his organization keep growing, including exploring partnerships to offer tutoring, financial literacy education, and ACT prep services.
“The privilege to help the people that need it.” Anna believes every lawyer should explore volunteer opportunities to give back.
* “I’m thankful I was able to help [Get Everything U], but I also learned so much,” Anna says. “Lawyers have stressful and time intensive jobs, but if you just try your best and be flexible, it’ll mean the world to someone else.”
* Anna emphasizes that even if a project doesn’t match your expertise, you can still help -- and give yourself an opportunity to learn a new subject area or skill!
* “If a lawyer can use their skills to help the organizations and individuals who need it, we should do it as much as possible,” she says.
A call to service: Anna says she’s planning on volunteering for her next project in the coming months, and urges every lawyer to consider donating their time and skills to a worthy cause.
Will you join Anna and sign up for one of We The Action’s 40+ projects looking for lawyers? ([link removed])
On behalf of the more than 41,000 We The Action volunteers: Thank you, Anna!
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