(MCLEAN, Va.) — Staff at the McLean, Va., office of law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP knows the recipe for a good fund-raiser: bananas, strawberries, blueberries, crushed ice, frozen yogurt, a few blenders, a sense of community and a strong competitive spirit.
During July, six teams, each one including a Pillsbury partner, an associate and a summer associate, conducted three "Smooth Operator Challenge" fund-raisers, making and selling fruit smoothies, for the benefit of Fairfax County's Medical Care for Children Partnership (MCCP), a program that provides free medical care for uninsured Fairfax County children.
Following the fund-raisers and a generous corporate dollar match, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP raised $7,648, enough money to provide a full year of care for 23 children.
"Our goal was to help 10 children," said Pillsbury Executive Assistant Patti Thibaudeau. "I never anticipated exceeding that but we are all just elated. The attorneys really got into the spirit of this worthy cause and they were quite entertaining, too."
Six Pillsbury teams competed to see who could raise the most money — the Drunken Smoothies, the Mess, the Home Runners, the Mad Hatters, the Rock'n Smoothies and the Palms. In the final challenge, the Rock'n Smoothies won the overall competition, with approximately $1,500 raised, but as competitive natures intensified, the Palms, led by attorney Matt Swartz, strayed from making smoothies to conducting raffles, and the Rock'n Smoothies gave away a donated Guitar Hero video game. Prizes raffled by the Palms included a $150 gift certificate to The Palm restaurant, an autographed picture of Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin, seven $40 gift certificates to the Spa Ciello, seven $10 Starbucks gift cards and a number of Zagat Washington dining guides.
About MCCP
MCCP provides free and reduced-cost medical and dental care to uninsured children in Fairfax County who are not eligible for Medicaid or Virginia's Family Access to Medical Insurance Security Plan. MCCP's ultimate goal is to ensure that uninsured children in Fairfax County have medical homes. To achieve its goals, MCCP and the Fairfax County Office of Partnerships develop unique partnerships between the government and businesses, foundations, healthcare providers, and ecumenical and community-based organizations.
About Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a dynamic full-service law firm with market-leading strengths in the energy, financial services, real estate and technology sectors, among others. Pillsbury's lawyers serve clients throughout the US and internationally, including from key global financial centers, including New York, London, Tokyo and Shanghai. Industry-driven client teams and a multidisciplinary approach to crucial business issues ensure Pillsbury's clients receive thorough counsel on all aspects of a matter.
The 2007 Corporate Counsel survey of Fortune 500 companies named Pillsbury a "Go-To Firm" in five practice areas—corporate transactions, litigation, IP litigation, IP patent counseling, and labor and employment. Pillsbury placed among the nation's top 20 law firms in number of minority partners according to the Minority Law Journal 2007 Diversity Scorecard and was also named as one of Working Mother's 100 Best Companies in 2006.