On May 23, 15 lawyers and staff from the firm’s Washington DC office attended a gala commemorating the 20th anniversary of the See Forever Foundation and Maya Angelou Public Charter Schools (MAPCS), a charter school network dedicated to providing academic, social and employment skills to teens and young adults in low-income urban areas in the District of Columbia who have been in the juvenile justice system or otherwise at risk. Hillary Clinton headlined the event.

“It was a really special evening,” says Partner Brenda Lee, who joined Partner Andre Owens as an MAPCS liaison in 2018 after Thomas White, the previous liaison and a current See Forever board member, retired from the firm. “Each speaker, from Secretary Clinton to the founders and administrators of the schools to the students themselves, was inspiring in his or her dedication to the schools and their mission.” Clinton delivered remarks on how DC and other cities can support youth like those who attend MAPCS, many of whom have juvenile criminal records and challenging home lives.

WilmerHale has worked with MAPCS since firm alumnus David Domenici co-founded the organization, and MAPCS became an official community partner in 2008. In addition to Lee, gala guests from WilmerHale included Public Service Manager Anne Bowie, who runs the firm’s community partnership program, and Senior Associate Caroline Coates and Staff Attorney Todd Willis, who coordinate a weekly tutoring program that brings MAPCS students to the DC office to work with lawyers and staff on reading and career development. The partnership also includes annual funding, pro bono work, resume workshops and annual professionalism workshops hosted by the firm’s Women’s Leadership Initiative and Diversity Committee.

“We’ve enjoyed a strong relationship with the Maya schools for years,” says Lee. “The gala was a great way for people at the firm who have volunteered a lot of time to Maya schools to have the chance to celebrate the schools and their work.”