Utah State Bar News & Announcements

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695238408,00.html

State Bar's drive raises cash, donations for needy
By Linda Thomson
Deseret Morning News
Published: December 23, 2007

Leonard Burningham was at loose ends one Thanksgiving 17 years ago when most of his family was out of town. The Salt Lake securities lawyer had been reading about a charitable group that provided Thanksgiving meals to needy people, and Burningham decided he would help out.
"That just got me interested in the plight of the homeless," Burningham said. "I spent the morning cooking dressing for turkeys. I made up my mind to start a food and clothing drive with the Utah State Bar."

Since then, Burningham has been conducting an annual drive within the legal community to get food, clothes, money and other donated goods for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

All the funds and donated items go to a variety of community groups that help people in need — the homeless, the unemployed, battered women, low-income families, disabled individuals and others who might otherwise be facing a bleak Noel.

The donation drive this year netted about $7,500 and nearly a semitrailer truck filled with clothing, toys, toiletries and other goods.

A number of donations went to Eagle Ranch Ministries, an organization run by Jennie Dudley, who ministers to needy people.

"I think the checks this year were equally divided between Jennie's (group), the food bank, the rescue mission and the women's shelter at the YWCA," Burningham said.

Donations in the past have gone to different agencies after they have been contacted to see what their needs are.

Burningham is quick to note that he is not alone in making this happen. Among others, he credits two friends, Karl Smith and Jim Savas, for helping to get turkeys, hams and produce for food boxes.

Formerly, Toby Brown at the Utah State Bar helped with the drive; his efforts now have been taken over by Lincoln Mead.

Burningham also praises the hard work done by his secretary, Sheryl Ross, who handles massive e-mailing and contact duties. Burningham's wife, Stacy, also taps her mother and friends for a variety of donations. "She goes out and gathers up a couple of truckloads of things," he said.

He was happy to donate to Eagle Ranch Ministries this year and said Jennie Dudley was, and still is, an inspiration to him.

"Jennie just felt it was her calling to serve," he said. "She serves hundreds of people."

The donations from the legal community, as well as from other sources, offer those who need help over the holidays the chance to "shop" for clothes for children and adults, as well as get toys and other things at the Eagle Ranch Ministries' distribution center at 1899 S. Redwood Road.

In addition, recipients also can get Christmas boxes filled with such things as oranges, potatoes, celery, cookies and more, as well as a turkey or ham, so they have the fixings for an entire meal.

For her part, Dudley is impressed with the generosity of the lawyers in this area.

"I think they're loaded with the giving spirit — they do their job," Dudley said.

Burningham, too, said he is always heartened by the level of giving that his fellow attorneys, paralegals and legal secretaries display on the day scheduled for collecting the holiday goods.

"Lots of people this year brought brand-new socks, shirts, packages, there were a lot of new children's things, coats ... there was a lot of food, a lot of toys, movies for kids," Burningham said.

Many arrive simply with checks in hand — and they're eager for an opportunity to say hello.

Just knowing that someone's holiday is better is a great reward, Burningham said. "The person making the gift always feels better than the person who gets it," he said. "The people who get it need it and they appreciate it."

A Taylorsville woman named Jan certainly appreciated what she was getting when she was looking this week for clothes for her disabled husband and two children, ages 8 and 9, at the Eagle Ranch Ministries' distribution center.

"Without this, my children wouldn't be getting any warm clothes for winter," she said. "Due to a fall on the ice last year, I became disabled, and it's been a difficult year for my family."

Her husband has been disabled for 15 years, and while her children believe in Santa Claus, money is scarce.

"This is awesome," she said, reaching for various children's clothes held in a large bin. "This is for Christmas day. We'll be wrapping them up, and they'll be from Santa. They'll be well-used."

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PR Newswire
White House Announces Appointment of Blind Attorney From Utah to Access Board Voice of the Nation's Blind. (PRNewsFoto) BALTIMORE, MD USA

SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The White House recently announced the appointment by President Bush of Ron Gardner to serve on the Access Board. The Access Board is an independent federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. Ron Gardner, of Bountiful, Utah, will serve his term during the remainder of the Bush administration and will continue into the first two years of the new administration.

Gardner, blind since birth, graduated from law school at Brigham Young University in 1978. He currently serves as director of field services for the National Federation of the Blind, the nation's oldest and largest organization of blind people, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. In that
capacity he provides training to state agencies on rehabilitation issues and advises charitable organizations on the legal requirements to maintain their tax-exempt status. In 2002 he was appointed director of the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness in the
graduate school at Louisiana Tech University. From 1995 to 2002 he served as legal director of Utah's Disability Law Center. From 1978 to 1995 he served as a senior trial attorney for the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service and Special Assistant United States Attorney for the district of Utah. He also taught business law as an adjunct professor for Brigham Young University for fourteen years.

Mr. Gardner volunteers as president of the National Federation of the Blind of Utah, which is the local affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind. He lives and promotes the positive philosophy of blindness espoused by that organization. "I believe blind individuals should take
personal responsibility for acquiring the skills necessary to compete as a blind person in today's world. Disabled people must not assume that the world owes them a living; rather, they should obtain the education and skills necessary to facilitate meaningful participation in the affairs of home and community," Gardner said. "As I serve on the Access Board, I look
forward to the challenge of combining a philosophy of personal responsibility with supporting the legal requirements to promote access for people with disabilities."

Mr. Gardner also volunteers as chair of the Advisory Council for the Utah Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired and as a member of the Institutional Council for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. Gardner has represented and advocated on behalf of individuals with disabilities and coordinated community and statewide efforts to
increase the opportunities for employment and access to services that benefit the lives of people with disabilities. He particularly enjoys his work with the Utah Organization of Parents of Blind Children to promote the use of Braille. Other volunteer service includes Utah State Bar Needs of the Elderly Committee; Statewide Rehabilitation Council for the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation; Advisory Committee on Disability Issues for Senator Orrin Hatch; Board of Directors for the Utah Industries for the Blind; Committee on Accessible Transportation, Utah Transit Authority; Governor's Task Force on Needs Assessment for the Handicapped; and
Curriculum Advisory Committee for the Visually Impaired for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has worked with the Lieutenant Governor to identify and test electronic voting equipment, which is accessible to blind and visually impaired voters.

Gardner has been recognized for his legal and volunteer service on behalf of people with disabilities. He was named "Honored Alumnus of the Year" by the law school at Brigham Young University and "Utah Handicapped Citizen of the Year" by the Governor's Office.

"With his political background, legal experience, and common sense approach to accessibility for the blind and other disability populations, I can't think of a better individual for such an appointment," says Cheralyn Braithwaite Creer, first vice president of the National Federation of the Blind of Utah. "As a blind person myself and as a mother of a blind child, I know that Ron will represent the needs of individuals with disabilities and the state of Utah very well. The positive philosophy of blindness from the National Federation of the Blind provides hope and encouragement to blind people and to parents of blind children across our state."

The Access Board operates with about thirty staff members, a governing board of representatives from federal departments, and public members appointed by the president. For more information about the Access Board, visit the Web site at http://www.access-board.gov. For more information about the National Federation of the Blind, visit the Web site at http://www.nfb.org.