One weekend. One global effort.

For ALA Headquarters and for those chapters that prefer a designated weekend, the dates for 2008 will be October 10-12. Partner with your friends, family, peers and vendors, and donate your time to a worthy cause. Just imagine the good you could do.

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2008 CCW Toolkit

2008 SmileTrain Toolkit

What is the purpose/mission of the program?

Various organizations and communities are challenged on a daily basis - trying to obtain the resources they need to help people and further their cause. As we know, the unfortunate are also challenged - they often lead a life that not many can relate to and it's a challenge for them to receive the emotional, physical and financial help they need to get through the day.

To help those in need tackle their every day challenges, the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) created its Community Challenge Weekend (CCW) program in 1999 where it encourages ALA chapters, its members, firms, vendors, relatives and friends to come together to contribute time, energy and resources toward improving their own communities. Join us in 2008 on October 10-12 and touch the lives of people in your area.

Why did we designate a weekend?

We chose a Friday-Saturday-Sunday weekend event to try and make a collaborative and significant impact in our communities. This ALA effort brings the professional community together at the same time to do something in their neighborhoods on behalf of the profession and the organization.

This particular weekend (October 10-12) was also chosen to better accommodate members' schedules. A chapter may prefer to organize a weekday effort (and possibly receive some law firm/vendor involvement), while others may decide that a Saturday or Sunday works better for their membership.

Each chapter can choose its own cause or organization to support, or its own activity to plan (i.e., cleaning up a local park or lakefront) and each event can last a few hours, an afternoon, a full day or the entire weekend - whatever works best for the chapter and its membership.

  How was the month of October chosen?

ALA's goal was to find a time of year when members and their families were less likely to vacation, when the weather in a large part of our members' communities wasn't too extreme and a weekend that didn't conflict with other ALA commitments.

Even though ALA has designated a preferred weekend again for 2008, the entire month of October is now available for community service activities. Instead of three days, all chapters now have 31 days to choose from!

  Who should I contact at ALA Headquarters for more information?

You may email the ALA marketing department for more information regarding the Community Challenge Weekend.