News Release

City of Cleveland Offers Book Relief to New Orleans Libraries

June 10, 2008

When David Thompson, an attorney in the firm’s Cleveland office, and his wife Robyn traveled to New Orleans for McGlinchey’s annual  meeting in March, Robyn connected with Laura Brown of the firm’s New Orleans office and began discussions on the status of the public library system in New Orleans post-Katrina.  Laura recognized and shared the disturbing fact that there were five or six public libraries still unopened that were in desperate need of funding and books.  Robyn collaborated with Laura and the New Orleans Public Library System on the idea for a book drive to benefit the New Orleans libraries and came up with the apropos name for the project, Book Relief.

Through an email solicitation from Robyn, friends, neighbors and other contacts in the Hudson, Ohio community responded in great number, and in the month of May, Robyn collected 119 boxes of books totaling more than 3700 pounds.  Donations came, in some instances, by the box load from sources like local churches, the Hudson Public Library, Hudson school systems, Kent State University, and McGlinchey employees in the Cleveland office.  A local businessman referred to by Robyn as the “Angel Investor” in Hudson, Ohio, heard about Book Relief and agreed to provide all shipping expenses, including boxes and postage, for the project.  Robyn collected children, youth and adult books, fiction and nonfiction – the only stipulation being the books should be in “like new” condition – and transported them to the “Angel Investor” for packing and shipping.  Laura Brown coordinated the receipt of the books at the New Orleans Public Library.  The library has been able to sell the books that are not in good enough condition to put on their shelves to raise funds for the library.

Through this service project, Robyn and the folks of Cleveland and Hudson, Ohio were able to reach out and help a community in need.