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NewsroomLocal Bar Associations Organize Fundraiser for Victims of Cyclone in Burma
More than 300 people attended the event which capped two weeks of fundraising where nearly $140,000 in confirmed donations from legal organizations, individuals and law firms, plus an additional $20,000 that law firms have set aside to match employee donations. More than 30 local businesses donated silent auction items, provided the food and beverages for the reception and donated the reception space , including Bently Holdings and Le Meridien Hotel. Organizers of the event encouraged people to donate to one of several charities that work in Burma *. Hal Nathan of the Foundation for the People of Burma spoke on his group's relief efforts and Ko Ko Lay, an exiled Burmese activist, spoke about the Burmese political situation. One of the fundraiser's main organizers, Vid Prabhakaran of Goodin, MacBride, Squeri, Day & Lamprey, commented on the event, “I'm very proud that the legal community came together when they saw this great need that was not being met. Over 100,000 are dead, one million have been displaced or are homeless, and over two million are in danger of sickness, starvation, or death in Burma . So many people have shied away from giving to the charities that are helping the cyclone survivors because of their fear of the repressive military junta. We hope that by showing over 15 legal organizations coming together to support these charities that others in the Bay Area and the national legal community will step up as well." Firms that have already generously donated include Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe; Fenwick & West; Farella Braun + Martel; Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner; the Chugh Firm; Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein; Littler Mendelson; and Sidley Austin. “This fundraiser's primary purpose was to spark fundraising here in the Bay Area and throughout the legal community for this important humanitarian cause. The Bar Association of San Francisco is proud to be able to play a part in serving as a catalyst and conduit for the remarkable generosity of its members and its community,” said BASF Executive Director Daniel Burkhardt. Fifteen Bay Area organizations came together as the Northern California Legal Coalition to organize the reception and fundraiser in under one week's time. Those organizations include: The Bar Association of San Francisco, South Asian Bar Association, Asian American Bar Association, Charles Houston Bar Association, Women Lawyers of Alameda, Bay Area Association of Muslim Lawyers, Queen's Bench Bar Association of the San Francisco Bay Area, Iranian American Bar Association, Korean American Bar Association, Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association, the Barristers Club of The Bar Association of San Francisco and Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom. *Suggested Charities Foundation for the People of Burma: www.foundationburma.org
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