News Taffy

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. has named Special Olympics as the firm’s 2014 Take Time To Give primary charity. The firm created the Take Time To Give program in 2004 as the principal means of celebrating the firm’s 50th anniversary and formalizing its 50-year history of giving back to the communities it serves. 2014 is the 10th year for the Take Time To Give philanthropic program and the firm’s 60th anniversary. To honor those two milestones, the firm is donating a total of $50,000 to the Special Olympics as follows:

Special Olympics Arkansas/Little Rock - $25,000

Special Olympics Arkansas/Jonesboro - $5,000

Special Olympics Arkansas/Northwest Arkansas (Rogers) - $10,000

Special Olympics Texas/Austin - $10,000

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for all children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Along with this monetary donation, Mitchell Williams’ staff and attorneys will volunteer throughout the year with Special Olympics throughout Arkansas and in Austin, Texas.

Mitchell Williams’ Take Time To Give program is the firm’s primary community service initiative that provides monetary and volunteer support to civic and charitable organizations throughout Arkansas and the region. The program has supported more than 200 organizations through monetary contribution and volunteer effort since its formal launch in 2004. In 2010, Mitchell Williams launched a new website, TakeTimeToGive.com, to help raise awareness of Arkansas’ many charitable organizations. Mitchell Williams is a law firm of more than 88 lawyers and 100 staff with offices in Little Rock, Rogers and Jonesboro, Ark.; and Austin, Texas.

“We are honored to support Special Olympics — one of the most established, recognized, respected and trusted organizations in the world — with this special donation this year,” said Mitchell Williams Managing Director Rick Beard. “Sports and physical activities for these individuals provide good health, personal growth and self-confidence. Rather than being told, ‘You can’t do it,’ Special Olympics says, ‘You can do it. All you need is a chance.’ We are pleased to help provide that opportunity.”

“What an amazing gift Mitchell Williams is giving us in their time and resources,” said Terri Weir, executive director of Special Olympics Arkansas. “We are excited to be the partner that gets to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Take Time to Give program this year with the firm. We’re looking forward to helping spread the word about Special Olympics and the many ways companies and individuals can give back to their communities.”

Special Olympics Arkansas provides approximately 14,000 individuals with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to excel. Arkansas is divided into 17 areas encompassing all 75 counties in the state. Areas are headed by a volunteer Area Director and various volunteers serving on games management committees. The Area management teams and nearly 5,000 volunteers make the 240 competitions and 56 special events possible each year.

Special Olympics Texas provides continuing opportunities for more than 44,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities throughout the Lone Star State to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy and friendship. More than 3,000 volunteers help organize 300 events throughout the year in 19 areas covering the state.

Mitchell Williams’ donation of $50,000 will help the organization provide sports competitions, programming, outreach, awareness and advocacy throughout the two states. Along with the primary charity program, Mitchell Williams will continue its support of nonprofit missions throughout the state through the Take Time To Give website and its social media outlets – Facebook.com/TakeTimeToGive and Twitter.com/TakeTimeToGive.