by Michael A. Gregg
Sam Snead, one of the top professional golfers in the world for the better part of four decades and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, once said of golf, “Nobody asked how you looked, just what you shot.” Sam obviously did not have in mind this year’s OCBA Charitable Fund Kenneth Lae Golf Scramble. In addition to other contest prizes, this year’s Golf Scramble will feature a best dressed contest with a prize going to the best dressed foursome. So, if fashion is more your forte than golf, the Charitable Fund’s Golf Scramble has you covered.
This year’s Golf Scramble will take place on Monday, May 13, 2024, at The Huntington Club, formerly SeaCliff Country Club. The Huntington Club golf course is an eighteen-hole course located just steps away from Huntington Beach and is the ideal location to fire up those irons. There will be a dinner social after the tournament starting at 5:00 p.m. for golfers and non-golfers alike. It promises to be a day of fun, fashion, relationship building, and philanthropy.
Assisting the community is baked into the mission of the OCBA. The OCBA Charitable Fund, the philanthropic arm of the OCBA, has been providing resources to Orange County law-related charities for decades. The Charitable Fund was founded in 1995, having previously been OCBA Attorneys Contributing to Society (ACTS) Foundation. As the philanthropic arm of the OCBA, the Charitable Fund provides resources to organizations and programs to enhance the system of justice and promote equal justice for all.
Since 2003, the Charitable Fund has given grants totaling close to $3,000,000 to deserving Orange County law-related organizations. By sponsoring and participating in the Golf Scramble, participants not only have an opportunity to promote their business, mingle with local practitioners, potential clients, and judges, but to support our community.
The Kenneth Lae Golf Scramble is one of two main fundraisers put on by the Charitable Fund each year. The other is the Raise Your Glass Annual Benefit, which will be held on August 15, 2024, at the Newport Beach Country Club. Please sign up for and commit to sponsoring the Raise Your Glass Annual Benefit now as it promises to be a great event.
I want to give a huge thank you to all the law firms, companies, and individuals who have contributed to the OCBA Charitable Fund. Their generosity is critical to the Charitable Fund’s ability to carry out its purpose. A big thank you also goes to the 2024 Golf Committee chairs John Beckley of Automobile Club of Southern California, Joe Chairez of Baker & Hostetler, and Dan Glassman of K&L Gates, as well as the Golf Committee members who helped to make this event happen: Ashleigh Aitken, Cathrine Castaldi, Kelly Galligan, Scott Garner, Eoin Kreditor, Nikki Miliband, Jim Pack, Dan Robinson, Christopher Ross, Suzanne Burke Spencer, and Beau Stockstill. I also want to thank and recognize this year’s Raise Your Glass committee chairs Sharon Oh-Kubisch of Kahana & Feld and Eric Traut of Traut Firm, as well as the 2024 Raise Your Glass committee members and the entire Charitable Fund Board for their hard work behind the scenes to make these two major fundraising events a success. Finally, I want to give a special thank you to OCBA CEO Trudy Levindofske, Chief Operating Officer Dennis Slaughter, Associate Executive Director Christine Wilbur, and all the other amazing OCBA staff members who have worked to make these fundraising events successful.
Even if you’re not the best golfer (like me), the Golf Scramble provides numerous ways to engage. Scoring is done using the best ball of one of four players so you should be fine if you have at least one good player on your team. Plus, you get to enjoy the day outside by the beach and in the sun. Participants also get to shoot a golf cannon (which requires no golfing skills) to launch golf balls over 350 yards with remarkable precision. For a small fee, participants can also purchase a contest package that includes a mulligan (a do-over or replay of a shot), raffle tickets, and entry into the on-course contests (closest to pin, longest drive, and hole-in-one). Another highlight is the “duck pond” raffle, where golfers can enter raffle tickets to win the prizes of their choice. And, of course, a worthy team will be honored with, what I believe may be the inaugural, best dressed prize. Participants can register individually or as a team at http://www.ocbacf.org/golf/.
Even if you are not able to attend the event, there are other opportunities to support the work of the Charitable Fund. The remaining sponsorship packages range from $500 to $6,000. Sponsors receive recognition through the tournament signage, promotional materials, and in tournament emails. And all profits from the event go toward benefiting Orange County law-related charities. Just a few months ago, on February 15, 2024, former OCBA President and last year’s OCBA Charitable Fund President, Dan Robinson, presented $215,000 in grants to Orange County based legal charities including:
Collaborative Courts Foundation (Participant Assistance Project) - $15,000 Provides targeted financial assistance to people in Drug Court, DUI Court, Veterans Court, and Mental Health Courts to overcome mental illness and/or substance abuse disorder.
Community Legal Aid SoCal (Consumer Defense Program) - $20,000 Fights injustice and advocates for social, economic, and racial equity by providing compassionate, holistic, and impactful legal services.
Constitutional Rights Foundation, OC (Civics Education Project) - $36,000 A non-partisan nonprofit dedicated to inspiring Orange County students through civics and educational experiences.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) (Mentor-Advocate Program) - $5,000 Providing a powerful voice and a meaningful connection for children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and abandonment.
Elder Law and Disability Rights Center (Small Estate Planning Clinic) - $15,000 Through advocacy, education, and the provision of free and low-cost legal services, the ELDR Center strives to ensure dignity and justice for members of our communities who are elderly, living with disabilities, or experiencing homelessness.
Human Options (Legal Advocacy Program) - $9,500 Ignites social change by educating Orange County to recognize relationship violence as an issue that threatens everyone, advocating for those who are affected by abuse, extending a safe place for victims, and empowering survivors on their journey of healing.
Laura’s House (Legal Advocacy for Domestic Violence Survivors Program) - $9,500 Changing social beliefs, attitudes, and the behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence while creating a safe space in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse.
OC Gang Reduction and Intervention Program - $4,500 Prevents kids from participating in gang activity, enhances community policing, and provides educational and recreational opportunities for students who struggle with attendance, academics, and attitude.
OC Justice Fund (Pro Se Deportation Defense) - $7,000 Empowers transformative change in the immigration system in Orange County. Works to ensure that clients impacted by detention and deportation are afforded legal representation.
Project Youth (SHORTOP and STOP SHORT OF ADDICTION Programs) - $9,000 Juvenile diversion programs for at-risk youth and their families. Project Youth services intervene when youth break the law and give them a second chance to get back on the right track.
Public Law Center (OC Low Income Tax Payer Clinic) - $34,000 Provides no-cost legal service to represent, educate, and advocate for low-income taxpayers and for taxpayers for whom English is a second language.
Radiant Futures (Survivor Immigration Legal Services) - $9,500 Building a safer community by providing crisis support, services for all survivors, and education to prevent domestic violence and trafficking.
UC Irvine School of Law (Pre-law Outreach Program) - $8,000 A summer pipeline program that encourages and supports college students from disadvantaged backgrounds who wish to enter the legal profession.
UC Irvine School of Law (Saturday Academy of Law Program) - $8,000 An educational pipeline program for ninth grade students. SAL is offered over six Saturdays, twice a year, to students from Santa Ana Unified, Anaheim Union, and Garden Grove Unified School Districts.
Veterans Legal Institute (Pro Bono Assistance to Homeless, Disabled, and Low Income Veterans) - $25,000 Provides pro bono legal assistance to homeless, at-risk, disabled, and low-income veterans to eradicate barriers to housing, healthcare, education, and employment to foster self-sufficiency and to improve the quality of life for indigent veterans in Orange County.
As demonstrated, funds raised provide much needed resources to legal organizations and programs to enhance the system of justice and promote equal justice for all. Your support goes a long way in bettering the Orange County community and legal profession by facilitating access to justice. I hope to see you on the course on May 13th at the Huntington Club and seeing how fashionable our Orange County legal community truly is.
Michael A. Gregg is the 2024 OCBA Charitable Fund President and a shareholder at Littler. He represents companies in all aspects of labor and employment law. You may reach him about these or other issues by emailing mgregg@littler.com.