NAELA FOUNDATION

Introducing the NAELA Foundation

Promoting the goals of NAELA and the Elder and Special Needs Law profession through scholarships, advocacy, research, and education.

On behalf of NAELA, Vincent J. Russo, CELA, CAP, Westbury, N.Y., a founding NAELA member, Fellow of the Academy, and Past President, introduced the NAELA Foundation at this year’s Annual Conference in Seattle, Wash.

The NAELA Foundation’s mission is to promote the goals of NAELA and the Elder and Special Needs Law profession through scholarships, advocacy, research, and education. The Foundation’s initial focus is on awarding the Cohn Sisters’ Scholarship for Patient Advocacy to NAELA members in financial need so that they can attend the NAELA Annual Conference.

In addition, the Foundation is creating a Litigation Advocacy Fund with the objective of establishing good legal precedent in matters of critical importance to older Americans and people with special needs. The fund will be available to NAELA State Chapters, other nonprofit organizations, and individual NAELA members.

“The Foundation plays a critical role in allowing NAELA to improve the quality of legal services provided to seniors and people with special needs by offering financial support to help educate our members and further develop their everyday practice,” said Russo, NAELA Foundation Chair. “Moreover, by establishing a Litigation Advocacy Fund, we hope to assist other nonprofit organizations, NAELA State Chapters, and other entities in their efforts to ensure that seniors and people with special needs benefit from the services they need and deserve.”

The Cohn Sisters’ Scholarship for Patient Advocacy

The Cohn Sisters’ Scholarship for Patient Advocacy was established in memory of Vivian Cohn Smith and Lorrie Cohn, sisters of NAELA Fellow of the Academy Helen Cohn Needham, CELA, CAP.

Vivian passed away in November 1997 after a 10-year fight against breast cancer. She worked with people with disabilities in North Carolina, and used what she had learned as a patient to advocate on behalf of others. Lorrie died in November 2005. She was a certified intensive care nurse, and later a triage nurse for Kaiser Permanente. She always considered patient advocacy to be an essential part of her caregiving.

“My family has a special interest in assisting lawyers who are serving underserved populations, lawyers who will use the training to train other advocates and newer attorneys who will be needed to replenish the supply of Elder and Special Needs Law attorneys as many of them reach retirement age,” said Needham.

The Cohn Sisters’ Scholarships for Patient Advocacy are made possible through the continuing generous donations made in the names of Vivian and Lorrie to the NAELA Memorial Fund by their family and friends, Needham, Mitnick & Pollack, PLC, as well as other individuals and law firms.

You can help the NAELA Foundation support the Cohn Sisters’ Scholarships and establish the Litigation Advocacy Fund with a tax-deductible contribution. For more information about the NAELA Foundation and to make a donation, visit www.NAELA.org/Foundation.

We Asked a Few of Our Scholarship Winners:

As a Cohn Sisters’ Scholarship for Patient Advocacy recipient, what did you take away from your experience at the Annual Conference?

“I appreciate the nudge the Cohn Scholarship gave me to dig in so many years ago. After attending my first Annual Conference, I knew I wanted to continue to be involved in NAELA and learn everything I could about Elder Law.”

– Michelle Baumeister, 2004 recipient

“I liked the mix of courses and speakers. One of the speakers was a caregiver; I typed up the notes from her presentation once I got back to the office, and I constantly share this information with my clients. The Annual Conference was also the first place where I took a VA benefits course, which motivated me to become accredited. I also learned about Stetson Law’s LLM in Elder Law program, which I ended up applying for. I’m starting the program in fall 2012.”

– Jessica Fisher, 2011 recipient

“The conference really encouraged me to get more involved. Since then, I’ve made larger efforts to join committees in NAELA and in my state bar association’s Elder Law Section. I also learned a lot of practice management and marketing skills from the sessions I attended.”

– Jason Waddell, 2006 recipient

“My experiences at the conference allowed me to take my practice to a new level. I became more active in the Florida Bar Association’s Elder Law Section, as well as the Florida Chapter of NAELA. I also forged professional and personal relationships (I met my husband at the conference). I’ve also started using the NAELA Listserv frequently as a research tool to help me in dealing with different cases.”

– Laurie Ohall, 2003 recipient

“I found it highly valuable that the session speakers were actual practitioners, with real-life, current experience. I also met other members from California. The networking opportunities were great. Everyone was easy to approach, and I’ve kept in touch with the people I met at the conference.”

– Mona Fosterwhite, 2012 recipient

“The other NAELA members I met were collaborative, welcoming, and helpful. Also what [NAELA member] Rajiv Nagaich, Esq., said during his presentation [Life Care Planning Alternatives] really hit home because of his emphasis on taking a holistic approach to Elder Law. That’s something I hope to emulate in my practice.”

– Shari Miller, 2012 recipient

“I felt an ‘at-home’ collegiality among the members, who were service-minded and compassionate. NAELA’s Annual Conference programming also expanded my mind beyond the duties of meeting client needs, to a national perspective. Now I’m very interested in cutting-edge topics that affect clients from all over the country.”

– Eric Barnes, 2005 recipient

Cohn Sisters’ Scholarship for Patient Advocacy Recipients

• 2012 Mona Fosterwhite (Union City, Calif.) and Shari Miller (Flagstaff, Ariz.)
• 2011 Jessica L. Fisher (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) and Mark G. Wermerskirchen (Willmar, Minn.)
• 2010 Brendan Froehlich, Esq. (Danbury, Conn.), Mary J. Roque (Medford, Mass.), and Diane Surgeon (Lumberton, N.C.)
• 2009 Michael T. Heider (Auburndale, Fla.), Ayo Labode (Denver, Colo.), and Ryan Pry (Radford, Va.)
• 2007 Alison Rieger Tobias, Esq. (Chicago, Ill.)
• 2006 Hannon T. Ford (Windom, Minn.) and Jason Waddell (Pensacola, Fla.)
• 2005 Eric Barnes, CELA (Kaysville, Utah), Eliza Daley, Esq. (Flagstaff, Ariz.), and David Mandel, Esq. (Sacramento, Calif.)
• 2004 Michelle Baumeister (Lima, Ohio) and Koyne D. Smith (Sugar Land, Texas)
• 2003 Laurie Ohall (Tampa, Fla.)

Your Support is Needed

You can help the NAELA Foundation promote the goals of NAELA and the Elder and Special Needs Law profession through scholarships, advocacy, research, and education with your tax-deductible donation. Visit www.NAELA.org/Foundation for more information. Please note that donations to the NAELA Foundation, a 501c(3) nonprofit organization, are deductible as charitable contributions under the Internal Revenue Code.