Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/87061
For Members WORKING ON YOUR BEHALF SAG-AFTRA ATTORNEYS HELP WITH ADOPTIONS S attorneys and three of the union's case managers volunteered to be a part of a Public Counsel Law Center project that trains volunteer attorneys to provide the legal services necessary to help families adopt children living in foster care. They also assist the families in obtaining benefits and securing assistance for the children when special services are needed. The project culminated on Adoption Day, June 15, when 11 adoptions were finalized. The center's Adoption Project has enlisted hundreds of lawyers ome members of SAG-AFTRA's legal team are spending their free time helping children be placed in loving homes. Eleven to provide legal representation to people adopting children in Los Angeles County. Public Counsel is a public interest law firm that offers pro bono legal services to low-income communities. The organization provides free assistance with the help of volunteer lawyers, law students and legal professionals. Find out more at publiccounsel.org. Members of the SAG-AFTRA legal team, in the back, from left, Counsel John Baldrica, Deputy General Counsel Will Bensussen, Associate General Counsel Nicole Nakagawa, Counsels Steven Zimmerman and Safeer Hopton. In the front row, from left, Case Manager Thomas Howard, Counsel Yeerik Moy, Case Manager Fatna Sallak-Williams, Case Manager Steve Otroshkin and Counsel Gerald Kim. Not pictured: Assistant General Counsels David Gregoire and Bonnie Chavez, Counsel Delia Ochoa, and Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. SAG-AFTRA CIO NABS TOP HONOR S Los Angeles, recognizes the impact that chief information/technology officers have on every aspect of an organization. "This tremendous honor for Erin only underscores what we have known for years, that she AG-AFTRA Chief Information Officer Erin Griffin has been named the Los Angeles Business Journal CIO of the Year for the nonprofit sector. The award, which was presented June 14 in brings outstanding talent and management experience to our team, and that her excellent performance has been key to our ability to innovate in all areas of our operations. We offer our hearty congratulations to her for this well-deserved award, Director David White. " said SAG-AFTRA National Executive for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education in Washington, D.C. The panel, titled Actors Unions: A Bridge to the Profession, featured Co-Presidents Ken Howard and Roberta Reardon and National Vice President, Los Angeles Gabrielle Carteris, as well as Thomas Miller and Ira Mont from Actors' Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA National Board member Denise Dal Vera. The panel was moderated by Rocco Dal Vera, professor and head of voice and speech at the University of Cincinnati. O n Aug. 2, SAG-AFTRA participated in a panel at the 2012 Conference 18 SAG-AFTRA | Fall 2012 | SAGAFTRA.org COLLEGE OUTREACH: BUILDING A BRIDGE TO THE UNION The panel presentation began with videos from both SAG-AFTRA and the University of Cincinnati, addressing the challenges faced by professors who want to teach their students the importance of union protections. It included statements from actor Lucas Neff (Raising Hope) and SAG-AFTRA Co-Secretary-Treasurer Amy Aquino, alumni of the prestigious Yale School of Drama. The presentation highlighted SAG-AFTRA's efforts in organizing work, negotiating the best wages and working conditions for members, vigorously enforcing contracts and protecting members against unauthorized use of their work. As Howard explained, "The business of being a professional performer is much different from the pictures seen in magazines. It is the job of the teacher to prepare their students for the business aspects of a career in entertainment, and joining the union is part of being a professional performer. importance of unions, stating, "Without the union, you may book one job, but becoming a member of SAG-AFTRA allows you to build a career. Reardon succinctly expressed the " "