Irell & Manella LLP: Partners In Caring

Employees of law firm reach out to Serra residents with holiday gift drive

Los Angeles, CA, January 1, 2003—The call came in on a November morning. The respected law firm of Irell & Manella LLP, which has a strong tradition of supporting local charities, wanted to do something special for the residents of The Serra Project. How could their employees, Jan Mecham, I&M's outreach committee chair, wanted to know, best benefit our agency with their holiday gift drive?

The prior year, Irell & Manella had orchestrated individual gifts for Casa Los Angeles residents. This year, it was decided they would expand the scope of their giving to include not only a house present for Casa Los Angeles but individual gifts for the women and children of Casa Madona. The CHOISS program, The Serra ProjectÕs program for independent living, would also be a beneficiary.

The means for giving was straightforward: Working off itemized lists culled from each resident, I&M's outreach committee created gift tags to hang on the holiday trees decorating their Century City offices. Each ornament bore the first name, age, size and gift wish of a resident. Wishes ranged from much-needed store vouchers for jackets and shoes to school supplies, toys and domestic items. Employees could either purchase the wished-for item and bring it in to be wrapped, or make a cash donation to the gift-giving effort.

The results were fantastic. Just a few days before Christmas The Serra Project was informed that all of the wishes had been met, including the very much wished-for bicycles some of the agency's youngest residents had been yearning for and a new television set for one of the group homes. Combined with the generous donations of presents from the Hollywood United Methodist Church, book publisher Scholastic Inc., and unparalleled efforts by the Los Angeles Police Department and the City Fire Department, December 25, 2002, was a truly memorable day.

The Serra Project salutes Irell & Manella and its managing partners, Morgan Chu and Kenneth Heitz, for coming up with such a creative and effective method for its employees to spread the holiday cheer, and for putting a personal face on the plight of homeless men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS.