ROCing and raising funds for bar programs

ROCstars, also known as donors, are wanted to ROC the Day at the Bar on Dec. 8 to raise money for several programs supported by the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar Association.

Social media and social events will highlight the online 24-hour fundraiser: Picture lawyers with smartphones, judges with Droids, iPad-wielding paralegals and BlackBerry-bearing legal personnel stopping by the Telesca Center for Justice to make their own donations and reach out to family and friends on various social media to encourage their participation.

“The whole point of the day is reaching out to new donors through social media,” said foundation President Elizabeth A. Wolford.

Computers will be set up on the fifth floor for ROCstars to make their online contributions while visiting with fellow donors and enjoying refreshments and games. Young attorneys, aka social media experts, from the Monroe County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section, will be available to help the less tech savvy navigate their way through various social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Proceeds will benefit the foundation, Empire Justice Center, Legal Assistance of Western New York and the charitable works of the Young Lawyers Section. Wolford said of particular focus will be the Lawyers for Learning, Peace Camp, Teen Court and DEAFund programs.

ROC the Day at the Bar is part of a larger ROC the Day event sponsored by ESL Federal Credit Union, powered by the United Way of Greater Rochester.

Michelle Kraft, United Way communications associate, said more than 500 not-for-profit organizations in nine counties are registered so far to participate in its first-of-a-kind event, not only in the Rochester area, but the state.

Kraft said there have been similar one-day online events in communities across the country and the local United Way thought it would work well in the Greater Rochester area.

“Rochester is known as a community that gives back,” she said, noting its volunteer rate is ranked in the top five large cities by VolunteeringInAmerica. “We thought it would be a great place to have an event like this.”

Every hour throughout ROC the Day, one ROCstar donor will receive an additional $500 to add to their gift for the not-for-profit of their choice.

The fundraising event runs from midnight Dec. 7 through 11:59 p.m. Dec. 8. The foundation, collaborating with Empire Justice and LawNY, will host a variety of ROC the Day at the Bar events throughout the day, beginning at 7:30 a.m. with Breakfast at the Bar on the fifth floor of the Telesca Center.

Wolford said there will be an omelet station, pastries, fun quizzes and door prizes.

“One of the exciting things is anybody who comes to the bar or contributes online will have an opportunity to participate in a drawing for an iPad contributed by Faraci Lange Business Litigation,” she said.

Breakfast runs until 10 a.m., followed by a 90-minute stop-in refreshment break, leading up to lunch with pizza and beer tasting courtesy of North American Breweries.

“Anybody can stop in,” Wolford said. “The more, the merrier.”

There will be additional refreshments until 5 p.m., followed by the annual Bench and Bar Holiday Party, which was scheduled this year to coincide with the special Roc the Day at the Bar event.

The Bench and Bar runs 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bausch and Lomb Wintergarden.

Breakfast at the Bar is sponsored by The Wolford Law Firm LLP and Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP.

ROC the day updates will be posted daily on Facebook and Twitter. More information is available at www.ROCtheDay.org and www.mcba.org