COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
For decades, HRO lawyers have served the communities in which they live. In 1955 when Harold D. Roberts, one of HRO’s founding partners, was instrumental in reaching an accord on Denver’s right to use water from the Blue River. As a result, the tunnel formerly known as the Montezuma tunnel was renamed for Harold D. Roberts. It is not surprising, therefore, that today HRO lawyers serve on hundreds of boards, committees, and commissions across the Western United States and in Europe. Community involvement is shaped and defined HRO’s culture over it’s 100-year history. Each lawyer who joins the firm is immediately encouraged to get involved in a business, civic, or charitable organization. HRO finds that community involvement makes better lawyers, and it significantly strengthens the reputation of the firm.
While a representative list of organizations with which HRO lawyers are involved is included below, following are some of community traditions that are of particular importance, and pride, to HRO.
It has been a long-standing tradition for HRO to collect canned, packaged goods and money to be used to assemble baskets of food for distribution to folks who would otherwise not have a Thanksgiving dinner. The firm donates the 200+ turkeys, and on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, HRO families and friends gather for the stuffing of the baskets. The filling of the baskets has become an important ritual for many. In fact, the children of the lawyers and staff, who have participated since they were as little as three years old, are known to fly back from college early that morning just to make it in time for this important event.
More recently, the firm initiated what is likely to be another annual volunteer event. Sadly, a partner who had practiced with the firm for 50 years, Jim Bye, died in April of 2007. Because he was known as an advocate for both community volunteerism and philanthropy, the firm donated $25,000, in Jim’s memory, to the Denver Mayor’s initiative to end homelessness “Denver’s Road Home.” In addition to the monetary contribution, the firm partnered with the United Way and provided 200 volunteers to various agencies on August 25th – and that date was proclaimed by the Mayor of Denver as Jim Bye Memorial Day.
For the last several years, in lieu of a traditional holiday card, HRO has granted the wish of a young child, through Colorado’s Make-A-Wish Foundation and shared that child’s photo and wish with clients on a less formal greeting. In 2005, Eric’s wish to be a New York City Police Officer, was granted. After spending 10 days in the Big Apple fighting crime with New York’s finest, Eric came to the firm to share in person his personal accounts of the experience. In addition to be a fine officer, it turns out that Eric is also an accomplished and most amusing speaker.
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Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado
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Denver Zoological Foundation
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American Board of Trial Advocates
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Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver
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Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom
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Goodwill Industries
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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado
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Los Angeles County Association of Women Lawyers
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California First Amendment Coalition
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National Multiple Sclerosis Society
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California Wine Institute
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San Francisco Film Society
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Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Foundation
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Sports Lawyers Association
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Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
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The Women’s Chamber of Commerce
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Colorado Legal Aid Foundation
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The Women’s Foundation of Colorado
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Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
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