Bilzin Sumberg 20for20 Program Gives Back to the Community

Miami, FL – In celebration of Bilzin Sumberg's 20th Anniversary this year, the firm embarked on a year-long "20 for 20" giving program further strengthening our impact on South Florida's underserved communities.

Throughout the year, attorneys, other professionals, and their families participated in twenty (20) give-back activities as part of the program:

1. In February, we hosted a clothing drive for Lotus House Women's Shelter, a non-profit organization committed to ending child and family homelessness, resulting in a donation of over 400 pounds of clothing, shoes, and accessories.
2. In March, we hosted our 11th annual Bilzin Sumberg Cares Project Day at John F. Kennedy Middle School where 82 volunteers painted murals and landscaped.
3. In March, the Bilzin Sumberg team volunteered as Huggers at the Miami-Dade County Special Olympics Area 11 Athletics Competition.
4. We also spent a day with Coral Gables High School students teaching them about the law and the legal profession, as part of the NALP/Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program.
5. On Earth Day, Bilzin Sumberg gifted trees to employees in exchange for donations to ReTree, an organization with a goal of reversing climate change by replanting trees.
6. In May, we hosted a fundraiser for Red Nose Day, a national campaign dedicated to ending child poverty.
7. In July, we sponsored a Bilzin Sumberg bowling team in the Voices for Children Foundation Inc.'s Strike Out Child Abuse Bowling Tournament, an annual fundraising event to benefit children who have been a victim of abuse, abandonment, or neglect.
8. In July, we built bikes and donated them to the children of Our Kids Inc., an organization that provides foster care services for up to 5,000 children in foster care throughout Miami-Dade and Monroe County.
9. Also that month, our attorneys spoke to students about the connection between academic work and career success at the I Have a Dream Foundation's Dream Up College Immersion Workshop.
10. We hosted a back-to-school supplies drive for City Year Miami, resulting in a donation of 86 backpacks filled with school supplies to students in need at Miami Edison High School.
11. Then in October, we participated in a Halloween Costume Drive where new or gently used costumes were collected and donated to the children of Lotus House Shelter.
12. Also that month, our firm held its annual United Way Week, consisting of a week-long fundraising event benefiting Untitled Way of Miami-Dade.
13. The firm also donated a scholarship to the University of Miami.
14. We read stories to the children of United Way's Center for Excellence in Early Education at United Way's Read for the Record event.  
15. In November, we assembled Thanksgiving food boxes for United Way to distribute to 600 low-income families so they can prepare their Thanksgiving dinner.
16. In December, we are hosting a food drive to collect and donate items to United Way of Miami-Dade's Community Cupboard. The Community Cupboard helps families that do not receive regular food assistance by providing them with approximately 28 lbs. of food monthly.
17. Also in December, an annual scholarship donation will be made to Florida International University.
18. We are also hosting a toy drive in December benefiting children of all ages at Our Kids Inc.
19. Throughout the year, the firm hosted 20 "Denim Day" fundraisers that allowed for attorneys and staff the opportunity to donate to different organizations on a specific day and in return wore jeans to work on that day.
20. Also throughout the year, Bilzin Sumberg participants prepared meals for those in need at Chapman Partnership Meal Service, a non-profit organization that provides comprehensive support to the homeless.

Community giving is nothing new for Bilzin Sumberg. Since its inception, firm leaders have been active participants in the South Florida philanthropic community. In 2007, the firm created Bilzin Sumberg Cares, an outreach program that provides the Bilzin Sumberg team with volunteer opportunities to work together to benefit various charitable organizations. Bilzin Sumberg Cares has partnered with numerous nonprofit organizations including the United Way of Miami-Dade, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Voices for Children Foundation, and Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America.

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