The Hidalgo County Young Lawyers Association's “Monster Bash” is an annual costume party whose proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. This year's event, held at Alyssa's Acres, was a great success and a good time was had by all.
If you are a member of a young lawyers association in your county and are looking for a way to give back a little to the community, I strongly recommend you consider throwing a Halloween party to benefit your organization's favorite charity. While time consuming, and despite various preparation pitfalls, these events are worthwhile endeavors that have the potential to make a positive impact in the lives of those who need it most.
The Hidalgo County Young Lawyers Association's “Monster Bash” is an annual event the proceeds of which benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. Make-A-Wish® typically needs a minimum of $5,000.00 to sponsor a child's wish, and we are but a humble organization with meager means, so planning and hustle is required weeks (preferably months) in advance of the party. It has been my experience that if you want to donate $5,000.00, you need to raise at least $7,000.00.
The Hidalgo County Young Lawyers Association has conducted this project for the past four years. Our past donations have benefited at least five different children. Two of those children were able to fulfill their dreams of going to Disney World.
We would like to thank the many sponsors for their generous donations. The Monster Bash would not have been possible without their support and we are grateful.
While the event required a lot of time and effort away from work, family and friends, the results were well worth it. In the end, the bottom line is the charitable contribution. As you toil away in preparation, it helps to not lose focus of this.
A nice little ancillary benefit, though, is that you get to unwind and be carefree, if just for a night, dressed as Magnum, PI, Flavor Flav, or whatever else floats your boat. And our annual event is open to the public, rather than being limited to members of the local Bar, which makes it even better if you want to get away from the Type A personalities you likely deal with day-in and day-out.
In the end, the bottom line is the charitable contribution. For us, it always makes us feel great to know that we did something to give back. It might not be great, and it might be nowhere near enough, but with any luck our annual contribution leaves the community better off than the way we found it…even if only by small increments.
