COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT
AIDS Outreach Committee:
Connecting the Legal Community With Those in Need
T
The Houston Lawyer
By David Miller, Hilary Tyson, Anna McMullen, and Staci Wilson
he HBA’s AIDS Outreach Committee has been serving the dinates family-style meals for Thanksgiving, as well as the DecemHouston community living with AIDS or HIV since 1996. ber and April holidays for the residents of Omega House and their The committee began by providing CLE seminars to exfamilies every year. The committee also works to fulfill items on pand the education and understanding of the intersection Omega House’s Amazon wish list and has participated in service between law and those impacted by HIV and AIDS in areas days involving gardening, housekeeping and house painting, and of healthcare, employment discrimination, and housing discrimimaintenance projects. nation. As understanding and acceptance of those living with HIV The AIDS Outreach Committee wants to thank all of the law firms, and AIDS grew, the focus of corporate legal departments, lethe committee’s outreach efgal organizations, and individuforts turned toward its current als who signed up to serve as projects, which include its anadopters for this year’s Adopt-anual Adopt-a-Family program Family program. If you’d like to and sponsoring holiday meals learn more about the program and service events at Avenue or the AIDS Outreach Commit360’s Omega House, a hospice tee, please contact HBA Direchome for persons diagnosed tor of Projects & Events Bonnie with HIV- and AIDS-related Simmons at bonnies@hba.org. ailments. You can also visit the committee The Adopt-a-Family propage on the HBA website hba.org/ Blank Rome LLP (L) and the Ramsey Law gram matches one or more Group (R) are among the participants of aids to view photos and a full list of families or individuals af- the 2023 Adopt-a-Family program. our adopters and agencies. If you or fected by HIV or AIDS with participating law firms, corporations, someone you know works with or legal organizations, and individuals who provide holiday gifts to for a social service agency that serves those families and individuals. The program began in 1999 when community members living with the committee adopted one family but has grown significantly over HIV or AIDS, we would love the opthe years. Last year, nearly 70 law firms and companies adopted 117 portunity to work with them to expand our outreach. families (totaling 313 individuals). The committee works with approximately eight different social service agencies to identify famiDavid Miller is a co-chair of the AIDS Outreach Committee and is the lies and individuals in need. Those families and individuals then managing attorney at the Amaro Law Firm, a large Hispanic-owned provide holiday wish lists of items needed or wanted as gifts for the personal injury law firm in the Heights. A Louisiana native, he has holiday season, and the committee matches them with the various lived in Houston for over 10 years. adopters, who provide wrapped gifts for delivery. The Adopt-a-FamHilary Tyson is a co-chair of the AIDS Outreach Committee and is ily program provides the opportunity for some adopter law firms a real estate transactional attorney and shareholder at BoyarMiller, and companies to communicate with and deliver gifts directly to a middle market business law firm representing clients in corporate families, though delivery through the social service agency working M&A, real estate, and litigation matters. She was raised in Houston with adoptee families is also available. Adopters provide gifts valuand returned to join the firm in 2015. ing approximately $200 per person, which helps lighten the load Anna McMullen is a co-chair of the AIDS Outreach Committee and is and provides a source of joy and comfort for adopted families often a litigator at the Amaro Law Firm, where she focuses on motor vehicle struggling with complex medical needs and sometimes the recent and premises liability cases. loss of a loved one. Staci Wilson is a co-chair of the AIDS Outreach Committee who, The AIDS Outreach Committee also works with Omega House, a after more than a decade in private practice, recently joined Chevron’s local AIDS hospice in the Montrose area run through Avenue 360. Americas E&P Litigation group as a senior counsel. Staci is a proud In addition to coordinating sponsors for holiday gifts, HBA coorgraduate of the University of Houston Law Center.
38 November/December 2023
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