Class Notes
A band of lawyers raises money for D.C.’s homeless.
Lawyers Band Together to Help the Homeless By Rebecca Barns
If you live in the Washington, D.C. area, it’s hard
focused on donations and volunteer help from the D.C. area legal
to miss seeing the homeless on the way to work, but when you’re
community. The operation supports more than 70 shelters, soup
in a rush, they can blur into the landscape. A large and growing
kitchens, and housing facilities with clothing and other essentials.
coalition of lawyers and law firms, however, is working together to help those in desperate need of necessities. The project started simply, in the winter of 1986, when a group of attorneys collected money from their law firms and colleagues to buy warm clothing and blankets to distribute to the homeless
The D.C. legal community pulls together for the homeless in another way, too. Each summer they rock out in a fundraiser called Banding Together: The Battle of the Law Firm Bands. Every participating band includes at least one lawyer. Fans at the concert “vote” for their favorite bands with their wallets: Each vote costs a
on downtown streets and at shelters. People were ready and willing
dollar, and voting early and often is strongly encouraged. Many
to give, and they gave generously.
of the rowdy fans in the audience are summer associates from the
Today their organization, called Gifts for the Homeless, makes winters a lot warmer for thousands of homeless people in the Washington area. Each fall the group collects and distributes
Law School. One hundred percent of the funds raised at the event are used to buy clothing and blankets for the homeless. The crowd can get pretty charged hearing their colleagues
thousands of bags of used clothing to more than 70 area shelters.
belt out songs like “I Fought the Law and the Law Won.” Last
Throughout the year, the group collects financial contributions
year’s winning band, Williams & Connolly’s “Dangerous
from lawyers, firms, and the general public that it uses to buy new,
Communication Device,” received more than 10,000 votes. The
high-quality clothing, sleeping bags, and blankets. Bart Epstein ’99
sixth annual Banding Together contest will take place on June 24 at
is president and chairman of the organization. Stephen Propst ’98
the Black Cat, a music venue on 14th Street in the District.
and Laurence Williams ’87 also serve on the board. Every cent of every dollar donated to Gifts for the Homeless
“Gifts for the Homeless works hard to ensure that every major law firm, government law office, and private law department in
by the general public goes to purchase warm clothing and blankets,
the D.C. area participates in our summer concert and fall clothing
and every dollar goes a long way. By pooling donations and
drive,” says Epstein. “The events are great fun for a great cause, and
buying directly from manufacturers, this winter GFTH was able to
when we work together we are able to make a powerful impact on
purchase, for example, more than 10,000 pairs of warm socks for
the lives of people who desperately need a helping hand.” With the
just 46 cents each.
energy and creativity of these determined lawyers, they are likely to
Though GFTH accepts donations from anyone, its efforts are
60 | UVA Lawyer • Spring • 2010
do just that.