After two years of serving as program director for the Sacramento region of Volunteers In Parole, I am leaving VIP to enter law school as a member of the Boalt Hall School of Law's class of 2005.

My relationship with the Sacramento legal community was like love at first sight. Shortly after moving here from the Bay Area after graduating from UC Berkeley, it became apparent that any public organization that involves attorneys would thrive in an area full of attorneys who seek every opportunity to give back to their community. Having seen the most compassionate side of our region's most talented and prominent attorneys, I am eager to start law school and apply the principles that I learned from my experience.

During the past two years, I have witnessed Sacramento lawyers perform acts of kindness, compassion and friendship, paving the way to inspirational changes in the lives of people in transition from prison. VIP grew to become a well-publicized organization, providing mentorship to over 150 parolees seeking to rebuild their lives. Sacramento lawyers played an enormous part in every aspect of this success: as volunteer mentors, as advisory board members, as financial supporters and as publicists of our efforts. We owe a great deal to this talented community. As we conclude our fifth phenomenal year in the Sacramento Region, I wish to recognize the many individuals and groups who played a part in our growth.

The Sacramento County Bar Association was instrumental in providing us with a forum for publicity and recruitment. Through the support of past presidents Bruce Cline and Barbara Yonemura, and current president Mark Shusted, we were able to present the program to over 25 SCBA affiliate organizations, advocating the virtues of our public service program to more than 1,000 Sacramento and Yolo County Attorneys. It is also through the support of Joan Stone and Christopher Krueger that the greater Sacramento community learned about VIP through the Sacramento Lawyer. Most attorneys in the Sacramento area now know about VIP and the important service we provide to our area's indigent and underprivileged populations.

Shortly after becoming the program director in August 2000, I learned to work in collaboration with the dynamic and robust legal community with which we have been blessed. It was during this period when members of the Sacramento Advisory Board took ownership and breathed new life into the program. Led by Public Defender Paulino Duran and Doug Welch, and Judges David De Alba, Gary Ransom and Renard Shepard, we launched an aggressive campaign that increased our volunteer pool to over 55 matches. Phones began to ring off the hook, filled with people eager to recruit such wonderful professionals into their support group. Judge Thomas Cecil initiated a tattoo removal project by enlisting the support of local dermatologists in order to remove gang-affiliated insignias. We initiated auxiliary programs, such as a clothing closet and school scholarships, in order to provide people with the resources that are needed to make a fresh start. The law enforcement community united with attorneys from a variety of practice areas to support rehabilitative measures aimed at curbing an alarming recidivism rate.

We have provided support to hundreds of parolees, cultivating life-long friendships. Speaking of her own match partner, Deputy Attorney General and VIP Mentor Glenda Reager said, "Lynda (Lee) has been places and seen things about which I have only read or heard--they had little reality for me. Perhaps because of where she has been, she has incredible compassion and understanding for the shortcomings of others. She has overcome obstacles, like prolonged drug abuse, to become a hardworking, contributing, member of society."

Over 20 mentees have successfully discharged parole, becoming self-sufficient and contributing members of the community. Faced with limited marketable skills and education levels, parolees re-enter the community with few employment opportunities. To aid the parolees in their transition, Sacramento attorneys willingly volunteered their time providing guidance, friendship and support. VIP now has a membership of over 80 attorneys, including prominent mentors like Alberto Roldan, Tim Smith, Ann Farina, and Robin Taylor. Our current chair, Thomas Johnson, works hard to cultivate support from government and public sector attorneys. Working in collaboration with local drug rehabilitation and treatment programs attorneys showed great poise in fighting all forms of addiction.

"I joined VIP because I believe in serving my community,"said Gregory Day, senior tax counsel at the Board of Equalization and the recipient of the 2002 VIP Mentor of the Year award. "I believe that we have to give people a chance to find their identities and callings, and to encourage them to do so in a productive way. By and large, I like people, and I really like being a friend to someone who really wants a friend."

Another VIP mentor, Commissioner David Foos, said he volunteers because "I wanted to make some difference in stopping the revolving doors of recidivism that we see in our criminal justice system."

The level of enthusiasm shown by Sacramento attorneys is inspiring and powerful. Their dedication is instrumental in turning valuable lives around, helping parolees cope with the everyday issues of recovery, employment and making amends with family members. We owe a great deal of gratitude to the Women Lawyers of Sacramento, La Raza, the Christian Legal Society, Indigent Defense Panel, Barrister's Club, the Attorney General's office, and the sections that comprise the SCBA. Moving to Sacramento and having the chance to work with an amazing group of talented attorneys in a project that benefits the entire community was a dream come true. As I move back to Berkeley and gear up to begin Boalt Hall, I will invoke the lessons I learned from the remarkable accomplishments of both Sacramento lawyers and parolees. This experience will remain in my heart through law school and beyond. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.