On February 25, 2009, over 300 people attended Teen Empowerment’s Celebration of Hope and Caring event. The event, chaired by WilmerHale Senior Counsel Martin S. Kaplan and Lauren Lapat, honored WilmerHale, Boston School Police Officer Stanley Graham and Lynne Jackson of Boston Centers for Youth and Families and included performances by youth, a silent auction and interactive activities in efforts raise and estimated $75,000 for the organization. Partner Jack Regan accepted the award on behalf of the firm.

WilmerHale has been a partner of Teen Empowerment (TE) since 1994, providing almost $1 million in unrestricted charitable dollars over the years, pro bono legal service, in- kind donations, and volunteers as part of the firm’s Youth and Education Initiative. WilmerHale attorneys and staff have worked with TE youth at annual college application workshops, Arts and the Law theater performances, the firm’s summer internship program, and through TE events and initiatives.

The Center for Teen Empowerment, Inc. empowers youth and adults as agents of positive individual, institutional, and social change. Each year, TE youth conduct over 150 initiatives involving some 6,000 youth and adults in Boston and Somerville, MA and in Rochester, NY. For more information, visit www.teenempowerment.org.