Renee M. Landers – Suffolk University Law School
"Since the late 1980s, I have been a member of the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston's Board of Directors, having served as President and currently serving as Chair.  Big Sister pairs more than 2,000 women mentors with nearly 3,000 young girls from Mattapan, Dorchester and Roxbury, and 69 cities and towns in Greater Boston, most coming from families with incomes at or below the poverty line. I know of one Little Sister who had never seen the Charles River, Boston Harbor, or the State House – something I hope will become a historical anecdote. As lawyers, we know the value of personal and professional mentors, and as parents we know the advantages our own children can have because of our education and professional status. Big Sister tries to ensure that more of Boston’s girls avoid the heartbreak of not being made to feel important, or that they matter, by at least one adult in their lives."

George P. Field, Esq. – Verrill Dana, LLP
"Support for the BBA's Summer Jobs Program for Boston high school students has become a regular and very productive part of each year for me.  I have co-chaired the Program for ten years and have hired a student to work in my own firm, providing income, broadening work experience, and education in the legal system and financial literacy that gives our students a better chance at success. As a board member of Discovering Justice, I am able to help continue and expand civic and justice education programs for urban children from kindergarten through middle school, preparing them to be thoughtful citizens and to deal effectively with conflict.  As a Boys and Girls Club alum who grew up in the city, I enjoy opportunities to help continue that good work in after-school and counseling programs for today's young people who face challenges greater than anything I could have imagined."

Judge Joan N. Feeney – U.S. Bankruptcy Court
"I volunteer my time in a variety of public outreach projects for children, including several sponsored by the BBA.  I attempt to show them the values of good character and hard work, the importance of education, self-esteem and confidence and giving back to the community.  I try to communicate with them in a way that relates to their lives and sparks their interest."

John J. Regan – WilmerHale
"Ten years ago, I helped organize WilmerHale's Youth and Education Initiative, which has vibrant partnerships with Cathedral High School, Citizens Schools, Discovering Justice, and Teen Empowerment.  As part of the Initiative, our firm provides substantial monetary contributions, pro bono legal services, networking opportunities, and numerous volunteer hours from our lawyers and staff to help our nonprofit partners carry out their different but complementary approaches to educating inner city youth.  On a personal level, I have found working on college essays and applications with inner city seniors from Cathedral High, in our two workshops each year with the senior class, to be a very fulfilling experience.  This community service taught me and our lawyers about the many challenges – in life and in education – faced by immigrant and first-generation college students who come from underprivileged backgrounds."

Janet E. Bostwick – Janet E. Bostwick, P.C.
"I help high school students learn about credit cards, budgeting, buying a car and avoiding the consequences of poor credit choices through my work with the M. Ellen Carpenter Financial Literacy Program. While all students can benefit, I think that it is particularly critical for less advantaged students to learn to avoid credit problems. These students are the ones most at risk if they run into credit problems, since they won't have any personal or family resources to bail them out.  I enjoy working with the kids, particularly watching the face of a student when he realizes how much a pizza a week on credit ends up really costing.  And, I've found I learn from them as well (although I still don't know most of the new slang!)"

Leiha Macauley – Day Pitney LLP
"In 2005 I worked under the guidance of the Medical Legal Partnership for Children to develop Day Pitney’s Child Health Advocacy Partnership ("CHAP"). Through CHAP, Day Pitney "adopted" the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center.  Day Pitney attorneys host weekly legal clinics at EBNHC to fill legal "prescriptions" written by health care clinicians. The prescriptions provide pro bono counsel, information and advocacy to preventatively intervene on behalf of families with children who encounter legal obstacles in accessing basic needs such as food, housing, education, health care and safety.  I continue to co-direct the CHAP program, which has now assisted more than 40 East Boston families with children."

Andrew L. Cohen – Committee for Public Counsel Services
"I represent children, and train other lawyers for children, in the foster care system.  These children have been ripped from their homes (often justifiably), their siblings, their extended family, their cultures, their schools, and their friends. Some are placed in foster homes that practice a different religion or speak a different language.  All of these kids are lonely, confused and angry.  I advocate for them to return home to their parents (when that is safe) or for them to find permanent homes elsewhere.  It’s a great job, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything."