Blast from the Past

Answering the Call to Serve CDEL

Around 2005, Lucy saw an email request asking for help with the preparation of a will for a CDEL client. She had been interested in pro bono work, but there were not many pro bono projects that Lucy had heard about where an estate attorney like Lucy could assist. “When I saw the email, I jumped on the opportunity. It was a very rewarding and meaningful experience and I was hoping there would be more opportunities.” It wasn’t long before Lucy was a regular CDEL volunteer and her hope to serve in a larger capacity was answered. Requests from clients to assist with end of life documents continued to come into CDEL and Lucy continued to take on CDEL pro bono assignments on a regular basis.

Lucy joined CDEL’s Governing Board in 2010. While on the Board, Lucy helped develop new programs like CDEL’s Senior Center Initiative (SCI) and Power of Attorney (POA) Workshops. “It was a thrill to be able to contribute my legal knowledge to the development of programs that eventually became mainstays of CDEL,” said Lucy. Lucy and her firm, Perkins Coie LLP, would also bring Summer Associates to volunteer at SCI Workshops. “The Summer Associates told me that volunteering with CDEL is the best client work they get to do all summer!” shared Lucy enthusiastically. In 2021, Lucy and her Perkins Coie colleagues helped CDEL move its fundraising to another level. “For a long time CDEL wanted to expand its giving portfolio to accommodate various options for donor participation, but we did not have the right processes and procedures in place,” explained CDEL Past President Theresa Jaffe, who at the time was Chair of the Fundraising Committee. “It was Lucy who took on the task of getting CDEL’s Planned Giving Program into place. She and her colleagues at Perkins Coie put together the entire program including expanding and developing the giving section on the CDEL website and making sure our messaging was on point. Lucy rolled up her sleeves and got that done,” added Jaffe.

CDEL has influenced Lucy in many ways in her practice. “I believe CDEL has made me a more humane lawyer,” stated Lucy. “Through programs like the SCI and POA workshops, I have been able to expose fellow Perkins Coie LLP colleagues to CDEL’s work and see their appreciation for what CDEL does every day. It has been a great bonding opportunity for me and my colleagues.”

 Personal Motivation to Support CDEL

Lucy has an autistic son and when she joined CDEL’s Board, he was still receiving school services. “I was and am still very aware that our son had access to therapy and support since he was a small child that others do not. It has been important to me and my husband to support organizations like CDEL that provide services to people with disabilities and those in need.”

Lucy retired from the CDEL Board in 2022, but remains an active and passionate supporter. “CDEL is on a great path. It has a well thought out Strategic Plan in place, terrific Board and Staff leadership and many stakeholders committed to its growth. I am proud to be one of them!”

And CDEL is proud and grateful to claim Lucy Park as a treasured and respected volunteer whose service and contributions are deeply appreciated.