Greene County Bar Association Contact: Amber L. Branstetter Attorney at Law Greene County Bar Association 44 S. Franklin St. Bloomfield, IN 47424 E-mail: abranstetter@ncci.net Law Day 2002 Activity Summary: The Greene County Bar Association sponsored an essay contest in which students were asked to write on the topic, "What it means to be an American in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 for a Greene County Senior." The contest's prize was a $1,000 Scholarship. In addition, the Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, Randall T. Shepard, spoke to approximately 250 students and community members at the Bloomfield United Methodist Church. Immediately following, those attending were invited to a reception in the Greene County Circuit Courtroom. Activity Narrative: Greene County's Law Day activities were very well publicized. A press release was issued to two local papers, two local television stations, WTHI and WTWO from Terre Haute, and two local radio stations. One week before Law Day, both local papers printed reminders of the activities planned. On April 26, 2002, the Greene County Board of Commissioners signed a Law Day Proclamation declaring May 1, 2002 as Law Day. A copy of this Proclamation was presented to the Chief Justice. At the program, both local papers and television stations were in attendance. The Greene County Bar Association contacted all five schools in the County to alert the students and administrators of the Essay Contest. Due to seating capacity in the church, each school was invited to bring 40 students for the Law Day Program. Superior Court Judge David Holt also sent personal letters to the schools' administration encouraging the schools to participate in the activities. The Bar Association also invited Bloomfield High School's award winning Center Stage to perform at the program. Four of the five schools in Greene County were represented at Law Day. All essay participants were recognized and received certificates for their participation. A local attorney read the winning essay and the scholarship was presented to the student by Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard. The Law Day program effectively addressed the theme of "Celebrate Your Freedom—Assuring Equal Justice for All." The Center Stage Choral Group performed patriotic songs, beginning with the Star Spangled Banner and Golden Dream, a collaboration of voices and quotations from inspirational citizens of our country, including President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. The Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard spoke to the standing-room-only crowd about the three tallest buildings in any county seat: the grain elevator, the church, and the courthouse. He explained to the attendees the symbolism of those buildings and the reason for their being the tallest. The Chief Justice elucidated that the courthouse represents that our judicial system is very important and our need to do right by one another. At the end of the program, Center State appropriately performed God Bless America and encouraged the crowd to participate. Law Day in Greene County expanded public awareness of the rule of law in several ways. All attendees at the program received Legal Stuff published by the Young Lawyers Section of the Indiana State Bar Association. Legal Stuff covers many basics of law and information on where to receive help. In addition to this booklet, a reception was held in the Circuit Courtroom immediately following the Chief Justice's presentation of the scholarship and his brief remarks. Many people are unfamiliar with the courtroom and this gave them an opportunity to experience the environment in a less intimidating way. Having the Chief Justice attend our Law Day activities was such an honor; we felt it was necessary to reach out to the citizens and young adults of our community. The response from the schools, law enforcement community, and the citizens of Greene County has persuaded the Bar Association to take a more active role in the county. The Bar Association has discussed that we will not be able to host Law Day activities of this size every year, but after receiving such accolades from the community, Greene County Law Day activities will continue in future years. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization