In January 2017, Laddey, Clark & Ryan, LLP adopted a Day of Service policy. The policy gave employees the chance to have an unforgettable volunteer experience, making a difference in the community while also experiencing the benefits of volunteerism.

“It is important for our employees to find projects that are both meaningful to the community and to them, and conform with LCR’s community engagement philosophy,” stated Thomas Ryan, Managing Partner. “We are proud of all the employees that teamed up for a day of service this year, giving back to their respective communities and local organizations.”

Most recently, James Quiggle, Tim Dinan, and William Thayer collected non-perishable food items at Stop & Shop for the Sparta Ecumenical Church Food Pantry. Employees helped raised over $200 and collected about six grocery carts of non-perishable items for local families in need.

Another employee, founder of RAKS (Random Acts of Kindness), an organization for spreading kindness by knitting and crocheting items for people in need, donated boxes full of hats and scarves to the food pantry at St. Thomas Lutheran Church for the Christmas Store, delivered infant and preemie hats to Monmouth Medical Center and sent baby items to the Women’s Wellness Center.

Heather Sheurs spent her service day photographing the festivities from the Morris County Adoption Day at the Morris County Court House on November 17th. National Adoption Day is an annual event in which courts and communities in all 50 states join to finalize the thousands of adoptions and to celebrate families who adopt. It is a collective national effort to raise awareness of the more than 110,000 children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families. Sheurs had the opportunity to combine her hobby of documentary photography with her love of children, that made the day feel like a dream.

Sheila Dolan used her volunteer hours to help run the Vacation Bible School Program for the First Presbyterian Church in Sparta. Dolan was one of the directors of the one-week program in July and ensured that the program ran smoothly. During the program, they collected money and “loose change” for Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Mission of Samaritan’s Purse. The boxes are collected in November, which Dolan was able to extend to the employees of LCR by asking them to donate a box. Eleven employees participated and a total of 15 boxes were donated.

Wendy Brick chose to assist with the John Cocula Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing. Brick sold raffle tickets and monitored the 5th hole for a hole-in-one competition for a new car. The main fundraiser for The John Cocula Memorial Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to academically driven high school students in Garfield, Vernon, and Sussex County Community College. To date, the scholarship fund has awarded over $330,000 in scholarships.

Lastly, Jessica Bisanzio volunteered with Pass It Along, a non-profit organization committed to helping teenagers become confident, resilient and compassionate through self-discovery, volunteerism, and leadership. Bisanzio helped prep for the Lake Mohawk Triathlon, one of the main fundraisers for Pass It Along. She organized the giveaways for the participants and assembled goodie bags to be given out before the race.

“Giving back to our communities is a core part of who we are at Laddey, Clark & Ryan,” said Ryan. “We are looking forward to participating in more charitable events next year and hope to make a big impact in 2018.”