Celebrate Pro Bono Week 2025! Friday Recognition!

Happy Friday!  The Youth Advocacy Foundation (YAF) is still celebrating pro bono week 2025!

Each day, throughout this week, we have been highlighting firms and people volunteering their time to ensure Massachusetts' children and emerging adults are able to receive access to an equitable education, by sharing some of the incredible work they're doing or have done this 12 months.

Please join us in reading their stories below and thanking these incredible attorneys for volunteering their time and expertise! #celebrateprobono

We'd like to start by thanking  Kiara Vaughn for acting as Pro Bono Coordinator at Latham & Watkins. And we also send our deep thanks to Alison Sclater Pro Bono Counsel at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

We'd like to thank the team of Sam Townsend and Danielle Cheffo of Latham & Watkins for supporting a student through multiple programs and schools, each providing the skills he has needed academically and social-emotionally.  He is now in high school and the family is exploring transitioning him back to his local public school.  The commitment of the firm and team to help this student has been terrific.

We'd also like to give a HUGE thank you to our 2025 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, Stephanie Faraci of Morgan Lewis, for representing three students this year.  First she took on a student that was supported by the team at Morgan Lewis since third grade.  As a result of her own hard work and the support of the legal team, the student graduated from high school in June and is on the path to a very successful career.  Stephanie also helped the family of another student secure a placement for their autistic 9 year old at a private special education school after the student was removed by her parent from her local school due to concerns about the student's safety.  Stephanie continued to support the family to receive appropriate  transportation services.  The student loves her new school and is making great progress. 

The third student represented by Stephanie Faraci was also supported by attorney Laurie Burlingame of Morgan Lewis.  We'd like to thank this team for securing a high quality summer tutoring program for an 11 year-old student with double deficit dyslexia as well as an out-of-district placement to provide specialized instruction for this student.  The early reports from this student's mother are that she is loving her new school.

Last but certainly not least, we'd like to thank the team of Steve Miklus, Nicola Sullivan, and Sofia Lopez of Morgan Lewis!  This team successfully advocated for a specialized day placement and transportation for their client.   The continue to follow him and the student is now thriving at his new school.

Please join us again in thanking these wonderful attorneys and the incredible pro bono work they've done in the past year and continue to do. #supportingcommunities #probonoweek2025