Giving Back is What We Do

KPBS’ “PURE LAUGHTER”

You may be wondering where the connection is between a criminal defense law firm and the newest comedy sensation at KPBS?  One word: community.  We are proud to support Mark Christopher Lawrence and our friends at KPBS who brought you San Diego’s first clean stand-up comedy act(s),  “Pure Laughter.”  Sometimes laughter is the best remedy for everything in the world that can bring us down.

PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM. PROTECT YOUR FUTURE. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS

One of the best parts of being a Firm that embraces the San Diego community in which we serve is to be able to get the word out about how we can all protect our freedom, protect our future, and know our rights.  Some of our more recent presentations were at such great organizations/events such as the Asian Solidarity Collective (07.12.24), Grind Geek Football Camp (05.05.24 at Hoover High School), Youth Empowerment (04.11.24) and the Young Men’s Leadership Conference (03.02.24)

LAWYERS CLUB

Lawyers Club of San Diego’s mission is to advance the status of women in the law and society. We will always support that mission. We have been delighted to sponsor its Annual Dinner in 2023 & 2024, along with several other of the many great events the organization puts on throughout the year. In addition to financially supporting Lawyers Club and its mission, Ally Keegan and Elmira Yousufi hold key positions within the organization.

The Firm at the 2024 Lawyers Club Annual Dinner (L to R: Brooke Walker, Ally Keegan, Stefano Molea, Elmira Yousufi, Sharice Gomez, David Shapiro, Kaela Whitt, Taylor Obade

SAN DIEGO ATTORNEY ALLIANCE

Along with fellow San Diego attorneys David Munoz & Puja Sachdev, David Shapiro started the San Diego Attorney Alliance (SDAA) in 2021. In essence, SDAA is a directory of talented and reputable San Diego based attorneys we know, like, and trust.  Since 2021, SDAA has hosted a fundraising event on Coasterra’s Harbor Float   each November benefitting outstanding organizations such as Just In Time For Foster Youth (engaging a caring community to help transition age foster youth achieve self-sufficiency and well-being), Second Chance (disrupting the cycle of incarceration by helping at-risk youth and justice-involved people towards empowered self-sufficiency), Alma Future Foundation (empowering and uplifting the youth of Baja California, Mexico, who face difficult circumstances through the provision of essential resources).

November 2023 SDAA Event (L to R): Ally Keegan, Stefano Molea, David Shapiro, Elmira Yousufi, Sharice Gomez, Taylor Obade, Kaela Whitt

Juneteenth Charity Golf Tournament Sponsorships

LOODPS was thrilled to be a sponsor of the 1st & 2nd Juneteenth Charity Golf Tournaments, which have been held at the Lomas Sante Fe Country Club in 2021 & 2022. The events have been organized by the San Diego Black Golfers Association and proceeds benefited three great San Diego organizations: The Blue Heart Foundation (serving under-served African American male youth ages 13-18 in the greater San Diego community) , Paving Great Futures (a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the San Diego community through personal economic development), & Epiphany Women in Focus (assisting women who wanted to transition from their current situations to more positive life choices, by providing trauma informed, restorative, healing circles and case management, to assist with beginning the healing process).

Read with Reed 83” Literacy Initiatives / Reading Rooms in Boys & Girls Clubs

The Firm was a proud sponsor of NFL Hall of Famer Andre Reed’s 3rd and 4th Annual Golf Tournament in May of 2021 and 2022.  All proceeds benefited the “Read with Reed 83” Literacy Initiatives/Reading Rooms in Boys & Girls Clubs (BGC) nationwide.  We are thrilled to announce in 2022 the Firm agreed to fund  a new reading room at a Boys & Girls Club location later in the year.

THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY

2020 Man & Woman of the Year Campaign: David was nominated for, and graciously accepted, the opportunity to be a candidate for the 2020 Man of the Year campaign for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). From April 9-June 20, 2020, David and his team embarked on a 10-week fundraising campaign and was one of the ten candidates who raised a total of over $620,000 to support the mission of the LLS.

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation, you can donate online at https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/sd/sd20/dshapiro or by sending a check, made payable to LLS, with “David P. Shapiro” in the memo. Your support can help bring hope to those fighting cancer and to honor those we have lost.

David is pictured with the LLS Boy & Girl of the Year at a pre-fundraising campaign event in February 2020

SECOND CHANCE

One of the Firm’s longest community relationships has been with Second Chance, a San Diego based program providing justice-involved men, women, and youth with the life-saving resources needed to break the cycle of addiction, poverty, and incarceration.  Most recently, from 2019-2022, David P. Shapiro spoke at the graduation of five Job Readiness Training Classes, also serving as the Class Champion for Class 232, 237, and 240, where he volunteered 10-15 hours a week for each 4–5-week class.  We have committed to letting Second Chance borrow David, on a part-time basis, for a few weeks every few months to continue to make a change in the lives of those justice-involved individuals eager to get back into the work force and back on the path of self-sufficiency.

David speaking at a job readiness training graduation ceremony

Understand the Grind Foundation Launch Event (July 9, 2022)

We were so proud to have been one of the many great sponsors at the launch event for NBA star, and San Diego native, Norman Powell’s Understand the Grind Foundation.  We look forward to continuing supporting the Powell family’s passion to effect tangible change in Southeast San Diego, centered around pillars of expanding academic and athletic opportunities.  You can learn more about the Foundation here.

GENESIS RECOVERY

Since its inception, the Firm has been a friend to Genesis Recovery, a faith-based, 12-Step, drug and alcohol rehab center and treatment program devoted to restoring the lives of men affected with the disease of addiction. David serves on the Board of Directors at Genesis and the Firm has been an active fundraiser over the years for a program so many of the Firm’s clients have credited for turning their lives around. We especially look forward to our annual sponsorship of their “5k We Walk for Hope,” held to benefit a scholarship fund for entry into the program for those who are ready mentally but not quite financially..

FRIENDSHIP SOCCER LEAGUE

The Firm proudly sponsored the uniforms for San Diego’s Friendship Soccer League in 2019. Comprised of mostly Ethiopian and Eritrean-Americans, the Firm was embraced by the community and was treated to all the great delicacies and traditions of their proud culture. David has spoken at several events the soccer teams have held, and even kicked the ball around a little bit (in his Ferragamos), reminiscing about his glory days of youth soccer on Staten Island, NY.

David with players from the Friendship Soccer League