___ MENU Client Login (866) 723-1890 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Baron & BuddAbout UsGiving BackCommunity Involvement We believe in giving back locally. What follows is a partial list of Baron & Budd’s Dallas area involvement. End Distracted Driving Campaign In September 2013, Baron & Budd shareholder Burton LeBlanc, through his work as the 2013-2014 president of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), took part in an End Distracted Driving presentation with activist Joel Feldmen at the Louisiana State University Laboratory High School (U-High) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Started by Feldmen, the national campaign to End Distracted Driving was inspired by his own daughter’s premature death at the hands of a distracted driver. Fueled by the determination that this injustice should never happen again, Feldmen is taking his message across the country, thanks to sponsors such as AAJ and the Louisiana Association for Justice (LAJ). LeBlanc and Feldmen presented their message to the students of U-High and the Louisiana State University gymnastics team. Through this hard work, they hope to raise more awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and to make people think twice before texting, talking on the phone or doing anything else distracting while driving. People can save lives just by paying closer attention to the road. 2013 Summer Jam Click the image above or below to view larger version. Baron & Budd shareholder Scott Summy has a long history of working to ensure the success of area youth. When the opportunity arose to enlist a guest speaker for the 2013 Summer Jam, a basketball tournament in Frisco, Texas, Summy stepped up to the plate and brought in former NCAA star and NBA player, as well as inspirational speaker, Chris Herren. Chris Herren is a famed basketball star who struggled with substance abuse for much of his career. After losing almost everything, Herren turned his life around and has been drug and alcohol free since August 1, 2008. Now, Herren travels the country, sharing his remarkable life story of addiction, abuse and recovery. He wrote a memoir, entitled Basketball Junkie, and was featured in the Emmy Award nominated ESPN documentary, Unguarded, which documented his life story. Herren continues to share his story with audiences so that his struggles can impact others for the better. Through his dynamic presentation, he is able to use his own history to show others that it’s possible to follow your dreams in life no matter what obstacles you face. In 2012 Herren’s non-profit organization, The Herren Project, founded Project Purple, a national anti-substance abuse campaign designed to encourage people of all ages to stand up to substance abuse and never give up on their goals. Scott Summy and the rest of the team at Baron & Budd were thrilled to bring Chris Herren to the 2013 Summer Jam so that he can continue to spread his inspiring message and impact people’s lives. Scott and his wife, Lenna, formed the Supreme Court Youth Organization, another sponsor of Chris Herren’s speaking engagement, in 2006. Attorneys Serving the Community Attorneys Serving the Community (ASC) brings together women lawyers to support non-profit organizations in our community that benefit women, children and families. Each year, the group chooses a beneficiary organization to receive all contributions. Baron & Budd contributes $10,000 annually to ASC’s mission. Baron & Budd attorneys — such as Laura Baughman and Cristina Sanchez Callen — have played an active role in ASC’s fundraising efforts for its beneficiary organizations. Project Exodus In the wake of the tragedy caused by Hurricane Katrina, in September 2005 Baron & Budd contributed $100,000 to Project Exodus, a citywide effort spearheaded by Mayor Laura Miller and the Dallas interfaith community to provide housing for victims of the hurricane who had relocated to Dallas. Baron & Budd attorneys and staff additionally collected furniture and household goods for their “adoptive” families, and several attorneys provided pro bono legal services to Katrina evacuees at the Dallas Convention Center. Habitat for Humanity In an effort to give hardworking families a chance at first-time home ownership, Baron & Budd has been a long-time supporter of Habitat for Humanity, including sponsoring the construction of a new home for a Dallas family. The firm provided the financial support for the project, and 85 attorneys and staff provided the labor over 11 weekends in the sweltering Dallas heat to complete the construction of the home. Baron & Budd separately received a Golden Hardhat award for its participation in the construction of another house sponsored by the Dallas Bar Association Adopt-A-Child Holiday Project – Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center The Adopt-A-Child Holiday Project is an annual event in which the firm works to fulfill holiday wishes for some of the young clients of the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center. Many of these children have been victims of abuse, and through the Center, have become part of a program designed to help them recover and to protect them from their abusers. This project has been a Baron & Budd holiday tradition for over 15 years. Baron & Budd staff members have "adopted" nearly 550 children and provided donations of much-needed school clothes and shoes, winter coats, and new toys and games from their kids’ "wish lists." In addition, their families receive gift certificates to a local grocery store to help ensure the family’s holiday is a happy and healthy one. Baron & Budd received the 1997 Small Business Volunteer of the Year award from the Dallas Volunteer Center for its participation in the Adopt-A-Family project. Carter BloodCare Baron & Budd staff members have annually participated in a blood drive through Carter BloodCare since 1994. Over the years, Baron & Budd attorneys and staff have donated hundreds of pints of blood to assist those in need. The C.H.A.D. House In 2001, Baron & Budd awarded a five-year grant worth over $85,000 to The C.H.A.D. (Church’s Hour Against Darkness) House, a nonprofit referral and counseling center for homeless women and their children in Tyler, Texas. The C.H.A.D. House was founded by Karen Choice and Pastor Flora Cobb of the Christian Teaching Center C.H.A.D. Ministry that was established in memory of Karen’s son, Ernest "Chad" Choice, who disappeared in 1991 at the age of eight. His fate was discovered in June 1996 when his skeletal remains were found. Karen Choice channeled her grief into creating a community shelter in her young son’s name. North Texas Food Bank Baron & Budd attorneys and staff collect nonperishable food items to benefit the North Texas Food Bank, and assist with the “Stamp Out Hunger” program sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers by volunteering at the North Texas Food Bank facility. Trinity River Mission In 2006, Baron & Budd staff donated candy, eggs, baskets and decorations for an egg hunt serving 300 children through the Trinity River Mission, which provides educational support services to non-English speaking residents living in the Los Altos neighborhood in West Dallas. Grand Forks Book Drive In 1997, a devastating flood triggered by El Nino weather conditions devastated the town of Grand Forks, North Dakota. For two years running, Baron & Budd staff collected books and magazines to help replenish the flood-devastated libraries of Grand Fork. Race for the Cure — Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Since 1995, Baron & Budd has sponsored its staff to participate in this 5K race that raises funding to find a cure for breast cancer. Every year Baron & Budd employees join the 20,000 participants who raise approximately $600,000 yearly to fight the disease. Other Activities Several attorneys and staff serve as members of boards of directors and advisory boards for a variety of non-profit organizations, including Mi Escuelita, the Women’s Advocacy Project, Public Citizen, St. Philips School and Community Center, Public Justice, Habitat for Humanity and others. ABOUT US GIVING BACK Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) Community Involvement International Mesothelioma Program National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Public Justice Foundation The Budd Center – Southern Methodist University Understanding Mesothelioma © 2021 Baron & Budd, P.C. All Rights Reserved. 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