Bilzin Sumberg Cares

"Real involvement extends beyond the annual donation or the occasional weekend project. Caring is a year-round enterprise."
–Marshall Pasternack, Bilzin Sumberg Cares Chairman

Bilzin Sumberg Cares is intended to benefit organizations throughout the year, in their on-going efforts. Bilzin Sumberg Cares is involved in the Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, United Way Miami-Dade, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and numerous other non-profit organizations.

In 2007 and 2008, the beneficiary of Bilzin Sumberg Cares' year round support was Southside Elementary Museums Magnet School, a school which strives to be as preeminent in its field, education, as Bilzin Sumberg strives to be in the legal field. Southside serves a student population of predominantly Hispanic and African-American students, approximately 90% of whom qualify for Federally subsidized breakfasts and lunches. Over the year, Bilzin Sumberg Cares held a book bag drive which provided125 fully-loaded book bags to the neediest students, hosted an Earth Day assembly and a Service Day at the school, in which over 150 members of the Bilzin Sumberg community participated. During the Service Day, we helped create several outdoor themed gardens and learning centers for the students. We also painted several classrooms and landscaped much of the school's grounds.

In 2008, Miami´s Seymour Gelber Senior Day Care Center was the beneficiary of Bilzin Sumberg Cares' second annual Service Day. Attorneys and staff pushed aside their legal documents in favor of paintbrushes, shovels and gardening tools. More than 100 Bilzin Sumberg volunteers spent the day landscaping the grounds of the Gelber Center, an organization that provides an interactive environment for physically- and mentally-impaired senior citizens. Additionally, volunteers painted the outside of the building, created murals, assembled shelves and storage units and engaged in arts and crafts activities with Gelber Center clients.

In the fall of 2009, Bilzin Sumberg hosted its 3rd annual Bilzin Sumberg Cares Service Day at Phillis Wheatley Elementary School, located in the heart of Overtown. Built in 1952, Phillis Wheatley Elementary School was the first African-American elementary school in Overtown and currently services grades K-5. During the Service Day, Bilzin Sumberg volunteers landscaped a new playground, painted the exterior of the building and designed and painted murals around the campus.

Other Bilzin Sumberg Cares Initiatives

Special Olympics

Bilzin Sumberg actively participates in the Miami-Dade Special Olympics, led by Corporate & Securities Chair Alan D. Axelrod, who has participated in this event for more than 25 years. Special Olympics is a not-for-profit organization committed to improving the lives of those with intellectual disabilities through competitive sports. The organization has programs in over 180 countries, impacting the lives of 2.5 million people around the world. Volunteers from the firm serve as "huggers," those who assist individual athletes throughout the day to their respective track and field events.

Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America

Mitchell E. Widom, a Partner of Bilzin Sumberg's Litigation Group, coordinates one of the largest law firm charitable events in the state, the Keymorada Invitational Fly-Spin Tournament. The fishing tournament, held in Islamorada, Florida, benefits the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), an organization dedicated to finding the cure for digestive diseases, particularly Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Law firms and attorneys from over 360 law firms from around the country sponsor and participate in this event, which has raised over $2.1 million dollars for the CCFA since 2005. The event was even named "The Most Unique Event in the Country Award" at the national CCFA convention in New York.

Bilzin Sumberg is proud to support the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America and its efforts to find a cure for digestive diseases.

100 Black Men of America

Over 35 years ago, during the height of the civil rights movement in New York City, a group of one hundred prominent African-American men came together with a vision. They had a powerful desire to help others achieve social and economic equality in public and human affairs. These men, who included Jackie Robinson, Charles Rangel, David Dinkins and J. Bruce Llewellyn, called themselves the 100 Black Men of America. Their foresight and dedication have inspired other African-American men throughout the nation and the world to take similar leadership roles in their communities. This organization concentrates on youth initiatives focused in four areas: Mentoring, Education, Health & Wellness and Economic Development.

Albert E. Dotson, Jr., a Partner of the Land Use & Zoning and Government Relations Groups, serves as the National Chairman of the organization, which implements mentoring programs for minorities and participates in education policymaking throughout the United States.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Bilzin Sumberg is proud to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a national non-profit organization dedicated to finding the cure for cystic fibrosis, a disease affecting the respiratory and digestive systems, as well as improving the quality of life for those afflicted with the disease. For the past 8 years, Partner Brian S. Adler has led the firm's support of the organization throughout his work with the "Beauty and the Best" event, which honors outstanding professionals in South Florida.