Multnomah Bar Foundation

Thomas C. Sand
President

(biography below)

 

2010 Campaign and Celebratory Social

Celebrating its fifth anniversary and looking to refill its coffers, the MBF has embarked on a campaign to raise $100,000 for the MBA 100th Anniversary Community Gift Fund. Read the campaign letter here.

Thank you for your generous support:

Partner $5,000 per year for 3 years Supporter $1,000
MBA                                     Bullard Smith et al       
Patron $5,000   Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Miller Nash LLP   Gevurtz Menashe et al
Friend $2,500   Edwin A. Harnden
Barran Liebman LLP       Thomas C. Sand
Enthusiast $1,500  
YLS  

A celebration and social is scheduled for Tuesday, September 28, 5-6:30 p.m., hosted by MBF President Thomas C. Sand and Miller Nash LLP, 111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 3400, Portland. Socialize, enjoy wine and appetizers and help the MBF celebrate its first five years. All MBA members welcome. Please RSVP or see the insert in the September Multnomah Lawyer.

Consider making an investment in civics education. Contribute now to the 2010 campaign. Donor benefits

Donations will be dedicated to increasing civic education and participation across a broad spectrum of citizens through grants to like-minded nonprofits and in the development of a civic education video series that will have a far-reaching impact in the community.

For more information, contact Pamela Hubbs.

New MBF Signature Project - Civic Education Video Series

The MBF will work with MetroEast Community Media to develop a series of 2, 5 and 15 minute civic education videos that will be broadcast on cable access stations around the state through an OSU cooperative network. Copies of the videos will be distributed on CDs to schools statewide and will be featured on YouTube and the MBA and ProtectOregonCourts Web sites, with links from various educational, civic organizations and news media Web sites. The MBF and the MBA 100th Anniversary Gift Fund will be acknowledged in all promotion and on the videos.

 

This new project will focus on the themes of voter registration and the importance of being an informed voter, civic engagement, calming civil discourse, what goes on in a courthouse, impartial courts, rule of law, balance of powers and the various kinds of courts and how they fit into public safety.

 

The project will be a collaborative effort by the MBF, MetroEast, the Bus Project, Urban League, League of Women Voters and City Club as partners in developing the video content. MetroEast will create a look and feel for the two-minute videos similar to the PSAs that the MBF helped fund earlier this year. The five-and 15-minute pieces will be centered on location/field production but will still have the same stylized graphic elements as the shorter pieces.

For more information, contact Judy Edwards at 503.222.3275.

Promoting Civics Education and Community Understanding of our Legal System

Founded in 2005, the Multnomah Bar Foundation (MBF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The mission of the MBF is to increase the public’s understanding of the legal system; to promote civic education, public participation and respect for the law; to improve the quality and administration of the legal system; and to support programs and projects related to the MBF ’s purpose.

The MBF has established two dedicated funds described below: the MBA 100th Anniversary Community Gift Fund and Multnomah CourtCare. For more information about the MBF, these funds or how to make a contribution, contact Pamela Hubbs at 503.222.3275 or pamela@mbabar.org.

MBA 100th Anniversary Community Gift Fund

Created as a means for lawyers to give back to their community, this fund provides grants to nonprofit organizations whose civic and law-related education programs support the mission of the MBF. The fund was established in commemoration of the MBA's 100 years of service to the legal profession and community. View a full list of contributors here.

To make a donation to the 100th Anniversary Community Gift Fund, please donate now or contact Pamela Hubbs at 503.222.3275 or pamela@mbabar.org.

Gifts to the foundation are fully tax-deductible. Tax ID 20-2738888.

Multnomah CourtCare

The MBF supports the annual operation of a free childcare program at the

Multnomah County Courthouse. It is open tofamilies who have business at the courthouse and cannot afford child care. The program is funded by $25,000 in annual grants from the Oregon Department of Justice and Multnomah County and approximately $100,000 in private funding from the Portland area legal community. Volunteers of America (VOA) Oregon operates the CourtCare. To learn more about the program and how you can help, visit our CourtCare page.

2010 Grants - $40,000 Awarded to Six Area Nonprofits

The MBF has awarded grants to six nonprofit organizations serving the Portland Metro area. In fulfillment of the mission of the 100th Anniversary Community Gift Fund, these organizations were selected for their civic education and participation programs.

Bus Project Foundation received $5,000 for their PolitiCorps Community Training Initiative, to train college seniors and recent graduates in civic and community organizing processes and engage them in their communities and civic activities. The program will serve 500 young adults up to the age of 24 in Multnomah County.

Classroom Law Project was granted $15,000 for the 2011Youth Summit which provides middle and high school students an opportunity to study a current legal topic in depth and discuss it with community leaders using a congressional hearing format. Over 1,200 Portland Metro area students and their teachers will participate.

 

Photo: 2009 Youth Summit participants

Elders in Action was awarded $10,000 for their Civic Education Awareness Project (CEAP). Speaking engagements and community outreach events provide civic education opportunities for older adults and encourage civic engagement. The CEAP will reach an audience of 7,000, age 60 and up in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.

 

Photo left to right: Collin McKean, CEAP Steering Committee; Peter Glade, MBF Grants Committee chair; Robert Mandelson, Elders in Action President; Lynne deVries, Elders in Action Vice President; and Leslie Foren, Elders in Action Director of Operations

League of Women Voters of Portland Education Fund was awarded $3,000 for the 2010 Voters’ Guide, Multnomah County Edition and Candidate/Ballot Measure Forums, which provide nonpartisan information about candidates and ballot measures for the primary and general elections; 17,500 copies of the guide will be distributed; forums will be taped for cable and online viewing.

League of Women Voters of Oregon Education Fund received $5,000 for Oregon Student Mock Election 2010 – Portland Metro Component. This hands-on program teaches the election process and the importance of voting, civic participation and leadership. Over 40,000 students, elementary grades through high school, in over 110 schools will participate.

YLS YOUthFILM Project received $2,000 for the filmmaking contest for grades K-12 that ties into Community Law Week and culminates with a screening and awards. Funding is for the screening, promotion and awards; and to provide access to equipment and mentoring resources. Students in Oregon and SW Washington may participate.

 

 

Photo: Chief Justice Paul J. DeMuniz with 2010 award winners

MetroEast Community Media

With a $5,000 grant from the MBF in 2009, MetroEast Community Media, in partnership with Multnomah County Office of Citizen Involvement, has created Community Involvement is Civic Engagement - a public service announcement (PSA) campaign that promotes volunteerism in county government. Topics include Animal Services, Sheriff's Office, Library, Volunteer at Multnomah County, Department of Community Justice and Office of Citizen Involvement. The PSAs, which include MBA members Heather Weigler and Amy Hoven, are currently running on Comcast Cable & Verizon FiOS channels in English and Spanish and are available as downloadable video files to be shared with other nonprofits.

Photo: Producers Emily Vidal, left and Kate Reynolds editing PSAs for Community Involvement is Civic Engagement campaign.

Thomas C. Sand, MBF President (pictured top of page)

Tom Sand was the Managing Partner of Miller Nash from 1999 through 2007 and is currently the leader of the firm's litigation practice group. An attorney with the firm since 1977, he focuses his practice on general trial practice and civil litigation, with emphasis on securities, employment, and other commercial matters. Tom has tried numerous cases in several different state and federal courts, and has argued appeals in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Oregon Supreme Court, and the Oregon Court of Appeals. In addition, he has handled hundreds of arbitrations and served as an arbitrator under the auspices of self-regulatory organizations in the securities industry. He is also retained as a mediator to help other parties resolve their disputes.

Tom earned his bachelor's degree in English at the University of Oregon. He earned his law degree at Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College and was named 2004 Distinguished Graduate.


Tom frequently speaks to bar and industry groups on the subject of securities litigation. He has written numerous articles on various aspects of civil litigation. He is a frequent speaker at the Northwest Securities Law Institute and a contributing author for the Broker-Dealer Litigation, Annual Survey, a publication of the ABA securities litigation committee. He wrote "The Growing Concept of Professionalism," a chapter for an award-winning Oregon State Bar Continuing Legal Education publication, The Ethical Oregon Lawyer.

Tom's professional activities include:

Inspiring Engaged Citizens conference - May 13, 2009

The MBF hosted representatives from Bus Project, City Club, League of Women Voters of Portland, League of Women Voters of Oregon, Oregon Community Foundation and Urban League to discuss opportunities to work together to create new programs to advance civics education in Multnomah County. Participants also included members of the MBF, MBA and YLS boards.

Future meetings will be used to brainstorm program and project ideas and hone the focus of the resulting coalition or partnership.

Inspiring Engaged Citizens conference - May 13, 2009          

Standing from left:

Barbara Fredericks, Second Vice President, League of Women Voters of Portland; Howard Moriah, Director of Education and Marcus Mundy, President and CEO, Urban League of Portland; Charity Fain, Executive Director, City Club of Portland; Leslie Kay, MBA President; Michael Greene, MBF Development Committee Chair; Gwen Millius, Volunteer, City Club of Portland; Lucy Palmersheim, Development Director, Bus Project; Judge Adrienne Nelson, MBF President; Andrew Schpak, MBA YLS Immediate Past President. 

Seated from left:

Betsy Pratt, President, League of Women Voters of Portland; Marge Easley, President, League of Women Voters of Oregon; Caitlin Baggott, Acting Executive Dirctor, Bus Project; Jeff Anderson, Senior Program Officer, Oregon Community Foundation; Katherine O’Neil, MBF Board Director.

2011 Grant Cycle

Information and application guidelines for the 2011 grants cycle will be available after November 1, 2010.

2010 Grant Cycle

The MBF awarded $40,000 to promote civic education and participation among school children, young adults, seniors and voters of all ages. Grants awarded in 2010

2009 Grant Cycle

In 2009, the MBF granted a combined $41,375 to six nonprofit organizations serving Multnomah County. Grants awarded in 2009

Past Grantees

Grants awarded 2006-2008