On May 16, LCL and its members/volunteers and guests enjoyed the Ninth Annual James A. Brink Fellowship Dinner at the Back Bay Harvard Club. Among such annual banquets, this dinner is a unique one, in that it is partly an occasion for recognition and celebration (of the program’s accomplishments and of individuals who have given of themselves in special ways) and at the same time an opportunity for recovery-oriented inspiration, not only by way of peer camaraderie among lawyers but also courtesy of a guest speaker who shares his or her own story of recovery.
After LCL President Jeanne Demers opened the proceedings (as we all enjoyed a rather well prepared meal), Board Chairman Mike Fredrickson, in his inimitable style, bestowed this year’s Volunteer Aware on Richard Soden, who has devoted so much energy not only to LCL but to lawyer assistance programs on a national level. Executive Director Rodney Dowell provided a rousing summary of LCL’s work over the past year (including the addition of several new LCL Support Groups around the Commonwealth) and its current projects. Introduced by LCL Clinician Barbara Bowe, guest speaker Michael H shared his fascinating and moving recovery story, leaving those of us in attendance with a sense of gratitude as we capped this fine evening and took our first steps into LCL’s year to come.
