BarTalk April 1999
Volume 11, Number 2

The annual Hooplaw Charity basketball event took place on March 6, and was attended by more than 200 people. The UBC Law Student team won the competitive division, and Harris & Company won the recreational division. A total of 19 firms (plus the student team) participated with each team paying an entrance fee of $500. At this time, net proceeds for 1999 are estimated at $15,000, but the total net proceeds raised will not be known until late Spring, as individual pledges are still coming in. Congratulations to Clark Wilson, for raising more than $3,000-the most funds raised by a team this year. Net proceeds from the 1999 event will benefit the Children’s Foundation, Covenant House, and the Grizzlies Foundation.

Hooplaw has been a tremendous success. It began in 1996 with three goals: to raise money for needy kids; to provide law students with the opportunity to get involved in charity work early in their careers; and to give Vancouver lawyers the opportunity to show their commitment to community in a collegial atmosphere.

Since its inception, Hooplaw has raised over $65,000 for children’s’ charities. Proceeds from the first two years, over $37,000, were paid to the Grizzlies Foundation for the benefit of the Junior Grizzlies League under a matched-funding arrangement with the provincial government. In 1998, the event raised $14,000 and distributed proceeds among the Children’s Foundation, the Orca Bay Foundation, “Night Hoops”, and the Vancouver School Board’s Hot Lunch program. Encouraged by the continued support from the legal community, the organizers formed a registered BC Society in 1998.

There are a lot of children’s charities benefiting from Hooplaw-and that’s just how event organizers like it. Programs that assist disadvantaged children are favoured by the Society because some children have a tendency to slip through the cracks of the social net. By supporting programs that assist children in overcoming obstacles, the Society’s members hope to encourage children to reach their full potential.

Hooplaw is grateful for the generous support of all participants and sponsors. “The legal profession and our corporate sponsors-Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment in particular-have made our success possible, year after year,” says Thomas Mills, an early organizer of Hooplaw and a fervent supporter. “Together, we hope to make a big difference in the lives of many BC children.”

This article was published in the April 1999 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.