Mecklenburg County Bar Association Contact: Mary H. Howerton, Executive Director Mecklenburg County Bar Association 704/375-8624 E-mail: mhowerton@meckbar.org Activity Summary: When the Mecklenburg County Bar invited South African journalist Donald Woods to speak at their Law Day luncheon last year, the event became a learning experience for Charlotte, North Carolina. In the late 1970s, Woods's efforts to expose the crimes of apartheid government resulted in his being placed under house arrest. His escape from the country with his wife and five children was depicted along with South Africa's struggles in the movie Cry Freedom. Invited to spend a week in Charlotte, Woods took the opportunity to meet with students, community leaders, reporters, and civic groups to discuss his central themes of freedom, law, and justice. He was the featured speaker at the Law Day Luncheon and a dinner to raise funds for the bar foundation's scholarship program. Sponsorship Entity: The Mecklenburg County Bar Association and The Charlotte Observer, with support from U.S. Airways and seven title insurance companies located in the area. People Benefiting: 1,000 students, 1,200 members of the community through public appearances, and an estimated 15,000 radio program listeners. Best Things about This Program: The community involvement - "As a direct result of having Donald Woods here, our Law Day program was extended to a much wider group of people." The involvement of more lawyer volunteers - "As a result of the heightened awareness of Law Day, we had more people in the bar who got involved, calling to volunteer as drivers for Mr. Woods or to host a dinner. People I'd never seen involved before got involved, and that's always wonderful for a bar association." Having someone from another country remind us of freedom's value - "Mr. Woods talked about what it meant to lose his freedom years ago and the progress South Africa has made. He reminded us as Americans that, despite our problems, the U.S. is still the a model for democracy and 'the best hope for the human race.'" Secrets of Success: "We took a long shot in getting a guest speaker of this stature. Initially, we discussed inviting Nelson Mandela, but were told his health would probably prevent him from accepting our invitation. When we invited Donald Woods instead, we ended up having him for the week and that meant all sorts of opportunities for others in the community to meet this soft-spoken man who is such an inspirational speaker." How-to Advice "Our Law Day committee members worked well together, coming up with suggestions for sharing our guest with other audiences in the community. We had lots of good ideas, but we had to limit them so we did not wear our visitor out." What We Learned: "Mr. Woods told us he was willing to meet with young people and he was wonderful with the kids. We might have expanded his reach into places where he could be with young people more." Cost:    $4,500, which was underwritten by the title insurance companies. The airline donated round trip tickets from London for Mr. Woods. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization