Steptoe & Johnson Offices Give Back During Holiday Season

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – In the spirit of the holiday season and in line with our Core Values, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC offices across the firm’s footprint have been giving back to our communities during this holiday season.

“Our Core Values are at the heart of how we operate,” said Steptoe & Johnson CEO Chris Slaughter. “We serve and give back to our communities in many ways, and the holiday season is a wonderful time to show our appreciation to the many regions we serve.”

From raising money for Thanksgiving meals to collecting coats and delivering toys and clothing to children throughout November and December, hundreds of firm employees have stepped up in big ways to ensure a brighter holiday season for organizations and families in need this year.

Below are examples some of the contributions from Steptoe & Johnson offices and employees:

• Bridgeport, West Virginia
  • Each year, Facilities & Purchasing Manager Tom Reaser organizes donations to the Salvation Army by setting up collection boxes for nonperishable food and monetary donations throughout the office. This year, thanks to a team effort, 18 boxes of food were delivered by Tom and staff member Bryce Weaver to the Salvation Army’s food pantry.
  • Employees participated in a last-minute opportunity to support Antero’s Christmas for Kids program after learning of additional Angel Tree tags to fulfill the needs of 100 children in Wetzel and Tyler Counties. Attorney Shawn Morgan along with Office Manager Stephanie Channell coordinated the effort and dropped off gifts for 30 children a week before Christmas.
• Charleston, West Virginia
  • The office collected numerous toys and $850 in donations for the Toys for Tots program.
  • Twelve employees and their family members participated in a holiday lights walk that helped raise funds for therapy services for children.
  • The office participated in the “Holly Jolly Brawley” Christmas tree decoration event, where over 150 trees are decorated by area businesses.
  • Its United Way office campaign is underway and should top $24,000 in giving.
• Dallas, Texas
  • The Dallas and Collin County offices donated more than $1,000 to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, which sponsors basic and clinical research to help find cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases.
• Denver, Colorado
  • Many Denver office attorneys and staff contributed to a coat, food, and toy drive that was coordinated by the Dominion Towers building.
• Huntington, West Virginia
  • The office is collecting baby items to donate to Lily’s Place, which provides medical care to infants suffering from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Lily’s Place also provides nonjudgmental support, education, and counseling services to families and caregivers in the community.
  • Employees volunteered to sell Christmas trees on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tri-State.
  • Poinsettias were purchased from Green Acres Regional Center, which is a private nonprofit organization that has been serving and assisting developmentally disabled adults in Cabell, Mason, Lincoln, and Wayne counties in West Virginia. Paralegal Cynthia Spreacker sold about 80 poinsettias as a fundraiser to support the organization.
• Louisville, Kentucky
  • The office participated in a Christmas drive that collected warm hats, gloves, scarves, blankets, and hygiene supplies for Wellspring, an organization dedicated to promoting mental health recovery and supporting individuals in building healthy and hopeful lives through behavioral health, housing, and employment services.
• Martinsburg, West Virginia
  • Firm employees donated to the Eastern Panhandle Bar Charitable Foundation, which raises money to purchase Christmas gifts for children through Court Appointed Special Advocates. Many attorneys in the office also serve as shoppers for the children.
• Meadville, Pennsylvania
  • Firm employees collected needed items for St. James Haven, a temporary shelter for men. The organization provides a place of welcome, nightly refuge, food, and comfort for homeless men in the Meadville community.
• Morgantown, West Virginia
  • Employees sponsored foster children from Pressley Ridge Morgantown, and every gift on their wish list was fulfilled by the office and will be delivered to children living in the foster care community.
  • An Amazon wish list was fulfilled for Scott’s Run Settlement House, which provides basic necessities to individuals and families in Monongalia County with kindness, dignity, and respect.
  • Employees are holding a coat drive to help individuals and families in Monongalia and Preston counties throughout the cold winter months.
  • Attorneys and staff helped with the first-ever Pantry Plus More Advent Fundraiser, which collected items throughout the month of December to be picked up and distributed at the start of the new year.
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • The office purchased poinsettias for its lobby from OKC Beautiful, an organization that aims to lead Oklahoma City’s beautification and environmental stewardship through collaboration, education, and advocacy. The poinsettia sale raises money for the Senior Service Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a high school senior who shows leadership in environmental stewardship.
  • Colleagues partnered with Hotdogs for the Homeless, a faith-based initiative that provides weekly meals as well as hygiene supplies. During their in-office holiday celebration, firm employees put together 50 care packages that were handed out to the homeless population on Christmas Day. Attorney Aimee Majoue serves on the organization’s board of directors and as its volunteer coordinator.
•  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Together with the Southpointe/Canonsburg, Pennsylvania office, the Women’s Leadership Initiative, an internal firm affinity group, supported the Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern PA Adopt-A-Family Program and the Allegheny County Bar Association Children’s Gift Drive.
• Southpointe/Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
  • Food Helpers (the Greater Washington County Food Bank) recently opened a new satellite office in Southpointe, and 15 Steptoe & Johnson employees got together one evening to pack 1,750 snack bags for students in elementary schools across Washington County.
  • Volunteers from the office joined Range Resources on the streets of Canonsburg about a week before Thanksgiving to collect money for the Greater Washington County Food Bank and Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank to ensure every family had access to a Thanksgiving meal. The grand total raised was more than $200,000.
  • The entire office joined the Women’s Leadership Initiative to collect monetary donations that were used to purchase fully prepared Thanksgiving dinners for FamilyLinks group homes, which support foster children and those who have aged out of the foster care system.
•  Wheeling, West Virginia
  • Attorneys and staff “adopted” 26 kids from the Ohio County Family Resource Network Family Support Center programs to provide Christmas gifts for children ranging in age from 1 to 17.
  • A November collection of money from attorneys and staff raised nearly $400 for the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Food Drive.