Message from the Vice President

	Katy Gardner, Esq. Vice President  Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation Corp.

The traditional 10th anniversary gift is tin or aluminum to symbolize flexibility and malleability. Reflecting on the work of the Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation, this seems fitting. During the last ten years, the Foundation has grown alongside the law firm, expanding into new geographies, reaching more communities in need, and finding unique ways to assist inner-city schools and non-profit educational programs. Reflecting this ever-changing landscape, the Foundation continues to adapt to best meet the needs of the communities it serves.

The Foundation is about options. In some instances, the Foundation forms long-term partnerships with non-profit organizations through annual Relationship Grants. Other times, through the Foundation’s Community Grants, we are able to parachute in to provide one-time, real-time assistance that helps educators fund smaller projects.

The Foundation is about opportunity. The innovative educational programs that we support provide inner-city children with a unique platform for self-expression, self-exploration and self-confidence. With our support, students improve their literacy, math and science skills and gain a better sense of community and self, all of which are vital to a child’s development and view of the world.

Finally, the Foundation is about commitment. For a decade, the employees, attorneys and professionals of Brown Rudnick have remained dedicated to the cause of improving inner-city education. Collectively, we have brought to bear our advocacy, volunteerism, and monetary support to help thousands of children, from preschoolers to high school students, become productive, educated adults.

To me, the Foundation is a tremendous example of how a powerful concept is born from a convergence of a impassioned ideas, convictions of the heart, and great minds. I am proud of what has been accomplished, and I look forward to what the next decade may bring.