{"id":49941,"date":"2023-07-02T21:04:31","date_gmt":"2023-07-03T02:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcguirewoods.com\/?page_id=49941"},"modified":"2024-06-14T09:52:57","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T14:52:57","slug":"community-impact","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mcguirewoods.com\/community-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Community Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Community Impact: McGuireWoods Makes a Difference<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Return to Community page<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bryan Brantley Ensures Pittsburgh Kids Soar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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McGuireWoods Pittsburgh partner Bryan Brantley<\/a> grew up attending Boys & Girls Clubs in Youngstown, Ohio. He has witnessed the evolution of youth organizations from just a \u201cplace to go\u201d after school to dynamic environments that stimulate learning and development for children. Today, Brantley plays a significant role with Pittsburgh\u2019s National Aviary, which impacts kids through educational opportunities, and he serves his community through involvement in several youth organizations in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brantley certainly takes McGuireWoods\u2019 \u201ccommunity\u201d core value to heart. In 2014, he joined the board of the National Aviary, located on Pittsburgh\u2019s North Side. As a nonprofit center working to protect birds and their habitats, the aviary promotes the importance of education to support its initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brantley stressed the value of the National Aviary for kids within the community. \u201cI thought it was an important jewel that the city had that a lot of people didn\u2019t know about,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat drew me to it is the fact it was on the North Side, but also their outreach. They do a lot for the inner-city schools, showing career choices to the kids who would not have the opportunity otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to its array of preservation resources, the aviary provides educational opportunities for kids in the area. \u201cThere is something therapeutic for kids about having these interactions with the animals,\u201d Brantley said. \u201cThat\u2019s a main draw for me and I think it is a very important institution to continue to support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brantley also volunteers at other organizations that support underprivileged children in the Pittsburgh area. He has been involved with the Sarah Heinz House Boys & Girls Club since 2013. The Heinz House, also on Pittsburgh\u2019s North Side, provides after-school care and summer activities that promote education and fitness for youth development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Brantley supports the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh\u2019s \u201cY Achievers\u201d program, which aims to \u201cexpose youth to career and college knowledge through the lens of professionals who look like them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noted Brantley: \u201cThese kids are really special and these programs offer a safe place for them to be off the streets in a place where people care about them. We\u2019re trying to make sure that everything we expose them to helps them toward their future. That\u2019s the biggest thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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McGuireWoods\u2019 Jen Stearman Has a Lot of Heart<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Inspired by a loved one who suffered a heart attack, McGuireWoods Baltimore partner Jen Stearman<\/a> has long worked to promote cardiac health. \u201cBeing touched personally really inspired me to focus on making a difference by promoting heart health,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stearman is a longtime volunteer with the American Heart Association\u2019s Mid-Atlantic affiliate, which hosts marquee annual events including the Heart Walk fundraiser and the Go Red for Women campaign. She has served on the executive leadership team for the Heart Walk fundraiser and currently serves on the executive leadership team for the Go Red for Women campaign, which raises money for women\u2019s heart health awareness, and Stearman chaired its 2016 campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe symptoms for heart health in women are different than men, so in addition to raising money, the events provide a huge education component,\u201d she said, noting McGuireWoods also has been involved with the cause. \u201cI was amazed by the support from McGuireWoods, not just from the Baltimore office but firmwide. Many people reached out who had been affected by heart disease in some way and shared their personal stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stearman also serves on the board of visitors of the University of Maryland Children\u2019s Hospital. She chaired the board for several years and she led several successful fundraising initiatives focused on pediatric cardiology, including a campaign to support a new pediatric cardiac catheterization hybrid lab and, most recently, a new neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s heart-warming to see the children who benefit from the new NICU,\u201d Stearman said. \u201cTo hear the stories of the beneficiaries of your work is priceless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Just the Beginning Pipeline Programs Support Local and Legal Communities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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McGuireWoods Richmond partner Jackie Stone<\/a> is a champion for diversity and inclusion and a peerless mentor. As a D&I advocate in the legal profession for decades, she promotes increased representation of lawyers of color, women and LGBTQ lawyers as a key component to delivering exceptional client service. She created and chaired the firm\u2019s D&I Committee<\/a> and was instrumental in developing family leave and flex-time initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stone\u2019s contributions also make a difference in local communities. For years, she has worked with, and is a board member of, Just the Beginning \u2013 A Pipeline Organization, which develops pipeline programs to inspire and foster careers in the law among students of color and other underrepresented groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The long-term mission of Just the Beginning is to build a legal environment that includes minorities in legal positions that reflect the diverse population. \u201cIt\u2019s important for the judiciary and the legal representatives to be more reflective of the people who are going through the system,\u201d Stone explained. \u201cThe way to do that is to get more diversity in law schools and law firms and create that whole pipeline process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just the Beginning provides a range of resources and development for students \u2014 from middle school to law school \u2014 to build a foundation of skills needed for successful careers in the legal field. One of the organization\u2019s most successful initiatives is the Share the Wealth Judicial Law Clerk Program, a referral program run by federal judges that provides law students and graduates opportunities to interview with multiple judges at one time for federal judicial clerkships. Many of the law students who have benefited from this program have gone on to work at McGuireWoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It Takes a Village to Help the Homeless<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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McGuireWoods Jacksonville partner and pro bono coordinator Chris Thanner<\/a> has left an indelible imprint on his community through his work with the Sulzbacher Center, Northeast Florida\u2019s largest provider of comprehensive services for homeless men, women and children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanner led a team providing pro bono real estate counsel to assist the center in building Sulzbacher Village, a new community for disadvantaged women and families in Jacksonville. The Village, which opened in May 2018, houses 350 family members and provides free health services to residents of the Village and members of the surrounding community. Under Thanner\u2019s leadership<\/a>, the McGuireWoods team formed new entities and arranged public financing under a complex tax credit structure, among other initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanner credits those who assist with the day-to-day operations of the center for its success. \u201cThe people involved with the Sulzbacher Center are wholly invested in helping the community and they have made significant headway over the years serving the homeless population in Jacksonville,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cServing folks who, through no particular fault of their own, have found themselves in dire circumstances is heartening to see,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Village serves an important purpose by helping people to get the ground back underneath them and stabilize their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Community Impact: McGuireWoods Makes a Difference Return to Community page Bryan Brantley Ensures Pittsburgh Kids Soar McGuireWoods Pittsburgh partner Bryan Brantley grew up attending Boys & Girls Clubs in Youngstown, Ohio….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"site_tax":[2],"class_list":["post-49941","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"links_out":[{"id":925,"title":"Christopher J. Thanner","url":"https:\/\/www.mcguirewoods.com\/people\/t\/christopher-j-thanner\/","published":"2018-07-22 07:13:00","blog_id":2},{"id":320,"title":"Jennifer J. 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