The yellow ribbon is a universal symbol of support for the United States
armed forces. While some attend rallies or donate money, BBA volunteers can
become part of the Yellow Ribbon Project by providing legal support and
assistance to US troops in the pre and post deployment process.
"Since their involvement in February of 2011, BBA Volunteers have assisted
more that 2,500 troops and families from the MA National Guard, Marine Corps,
Army, Navy and Air Reserve" said LTC David Hencke, Chief - Deployment Cycle
Support of the Joint Force HQ's. "There are thousands more who will require help
and assistance."
A brainchild of Bill Sinnott, Corporation Counsel, City of Boston, and BBA
Past President Jack Regan, the project seeks to meet the needs of active duty
military personnel, recent veterans and their family members. The goal of
yellows ribbon events is to have lawyers affiliated with the Boston Bar
Association give the hundreds of military personnel who attend these events a
sense of what legal issues they need to be thinking about. The BBA Delivery of
Legal Services Section, Bankruptcy Section, Family Law Section, Trusts &
Estates Section and Labor & Employment Section have all pledged their
support to the project, and will be scheduling training programs for volunteers
throughout the upcoming year.
"For pre-deployment yellow ribbon
events, attorneys seek to provide assistance with trusts and estate planning,
consumer debt matters, alimony and child support payments, and child care
issues," said Lynn Girton Chief Counsel of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the
Boston Bar Association. "In the case of the post-deployment yellow ribbon
events, the goal is to ensure that the military member gets the information
necessary for increasing the chances of successfully reentering civilian
life."
Yellow Ribbon events are held on weekends throughout Massachusetts. The time
commitment is approximately 6 hours per event. To find out more about the event,
speak to your Section Co-Chair or contact the BBA Public Service Manager, Jenna
Peterson at jpeterson@bostonbar.org
or 617-778-1976.