Executive Summary: A foundation of giving

Lynn Ann Vogel

A note from Missouri Bar Executive Director Mischa Buford Epps: I have the great fortune of witnessing the impact Missouri lawyers make on the world around us. One of the ways you do so is through your contributions to and support of The Missouri Bar Foundation. To help drive home this point, I extended an invitation to Lynn Ann Vogel, past Missouri Bar president and current president of The Missouri Bar Foundation, to share about the great work the foundation continues to do for citizens across our state.   
 

Most of us went to law school to help people, and the foundation allows us to do just that.

The pioneers of philanthropy who created “foundations” were Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. After experimenting with several ways to form charities, they formatted their endeavors similarly to a corporation by allowing a board of “trusted people” to decide how to donate their money to best serve the needs of others.

I am fascinated with the perfection of determining that these boards of “trusted” people would be called “foundations.” There are myriad other words they could have used, but “foundation” is the perfect one. It is simple and says everything these principled people were creating. Synonyms for “foundation” are base, bedrock, justification, heart, footing, support, and groundwork.  Money is the support and groundwork of the needs of all charities. It is the “foundation” upon which all good works and deeds can be accomplished.

I am honored to serve as one of The Missouri Bar Foundation Trustees, which helps maintain, grow, and distribute funds generously donated to the foundation. Contributing to the foundation supports the principles of the rule of law and assists the public by granting funds to organizations that help people.

Because of the generosity of Missouri lawyers over the years, The Missouri Bar Foundation has been the bedrock and the footing for many new and existing programs. Among such programs have been legal services to indigents and low-income Missourians, Missouri Girls and Boys State, law-related education for teachers and students in Missouri schools, and initiatives to help lawyers address mental health and substance use issues.

We are proud to lend a helping hand to these admirable causes and organizations, but we wouldn’t be able to if it wasn’t for you – Missouri lawyers – and your generous contributions. You can continue to help us assist these deserving programs by contributing to The Missouri Bar Foundation. Visit MoBarFoundation.org to learn how you can give back.  

We know lawyers want to even better serve their clients and communities, and The Missouri Bar Foundation is here to help you do just that – through charity and generosity.