Greetings HYLF Fellows,

My name is Saamantha-Anne Nadolny and I am the Chair of the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation for the 2024-2025 year. My journey with HYLF started over a decade ago stuffing sponsor packets and sorting gift filled trash bags with the Adopt-an-Angel program, and today I am proud and honored to now lead this organization.

I am excited to share my “25 in 25” strategic vision with all of you as we enter the new bar year-one that I view as a year of expansion and growth. The 25 stands a number of things that we would like to accomplish by the end of my term 2025…

•  25 events: From CLEs to signature fundraisers to Fellows happy hours, the Foundation’s goal is to host 25 meaningful events this year.
• 25 Life Fellows: We aim to welcome 25 more people who have completed their financial contribution to the Foundation and honor them at next years Fellows luncheon.
• 25 Sustaining Fellows: We strive to reengage our current Life Fellows to continue to give to the Foundation following the completion of their financial commitment.
• 25 Fellows: This highlights our commitment to push HYLA’s attendance higher so that the percentage of the membership nominated to be Fellows this year is higher than ever.
• 25 grant applications: This year, we have a focus on further spreading the word about our grant program out into the community even more so that deserving organizations are aware of the funds we want to give and apply for consideration.
• 25 thousand more given: This amount, funded by all the above items, will be a 50% increase over past years that we can give to deserving grant applications.

I ask for your help in supporting this strategic vision for HYLF. Can you spare 25 minutes this year to attend an event?  Can you encourage your firm to adopt 25 kids for Adopt-an-Angel? Can you tell 25 lawyer friends about the Foundation’s mission? Can you commit to a new monetary commitment of 25 years to be a Sustaining Fellow? Can you take 25 seconds to share and repost our event fliers on social media? Can you remind 25 colleagues about our upcoming fundraiser? Can you send 25 emails spreading the word? Can you invite 25 people to follow our LinkedIn page? Can you give 25 dollars (plus a zero or two…) to sponsor an event? There is no part of 25 that would not have a meaningful impact on this year for us and help us achieve our goals.

I want to personally thank you all for your continual support of the Foundation and our mission is to improve the quality and availability of legal aid, health, human welfare, and education services provided by Greater Houston. We are looking forward to a fantastic year of growth together as we take HYLF to greater heights and achieve our goals.

Best,

Samantha-Anne Nadolny

Chair-Houston Young Lawyers Foundation

2024-2025