By Petrina Chetty, ProBono.Org, Durban
Showing appreciation to attorneys, advocates and organisations is one of the events that the Durban staff looks forward to hosting. Not because we get to “glitter and glamour” on the day, but because we are able to give a little something back to those who go above and beyond to assist ProBono.Org and our clients.
This year, we held our second annual Appreciation Day event on 9 June at the AHA Waterfront Hotel. This occasion marks the growing success of our organisation. It is an opportunity for our staff to meet and greet some of the attorneys that we do not have an opportunity to work with. This year we were fortunate to be able to share the event with our Johannesburg colleagues.
The 2017 Appreciation Day event would not have been possible without our generous sponsors, some of which were Lexis Nexis, Juta, Sanlam, Urban Lime and Virgin Active. We were very honoured to have as our keynote speaker Professor David McQuoid- Mason of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the founder of the Street Law Programme. Professor Mason embodied the spirit of the event and came appropriately and amusingly dressed with a “Keep Calm and Do Pro Bono” t-shirt. As our Master of Ceremonies we had popular DJ Kevin Minter-Brown of Durban Youth Radio fame. The highlight of the event and the moment our guests waited in anticipation for, was the handing out of the Certificates of Appreciation. Some of the attorneys and firms that were recognised were Carol Holness from Norton Rose Fulbright SA for her continuous support and assistance for our refugee work, Kerry Forbes for helping us the most as an individual attorney, Tate, Nolan & Knight Attorneys who completed the highest number of pro bono hours for a medium firm and Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys, being the large firm that has assisted us the most. All in all, the event was a success. The guests walked away with goodie bags, full bellies and, hopefully, good
memories.
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