“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.”
—Mother Theresa

By Elayna Erick and Matthew Naftis

Our firm’s founder, Maryann Sarris Brousseau, loved to give. Like most parents, she loved giving to her family, and like most lawyers, she gave her all to her clients. But some of her greatest joys in life came from giving her time and resources to charitable and community organizations. Maryann’s time, enthusiasm, and financial support were life-changing for those who benefitted from them, and her impact is still felt throughout Dallas by the charities she worked with.

Maryann’s commitment to charitable giving is one of the values upon which this firm was built, so it’s important for us to honor the love Maryann put into giving by continuing to donate our collective time, talent, and resources to organizations that work for the benefit of our city and the community at large.

As we close another year, we find ourselves reflecting on what we’ve been able to accomplish in this regard over the past 12 months. This year, members of our firm have donated their time by taking on pro bono cases, preparing shoeboxes of toys, sundries, and necessities for international children in need, sorting clothes donated to Goodwill, preparing food crates at a local food pantry, and providing hands-on assistance to Afghan refugees living in Dallas.

As a firm, we have provided financial support to many local organizations, including Austin Street Shelter, Goodwill Industries of Dallas, and Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep. Each of these recipients is either connected to one of us at the firm, or was connected to Maryann, and we aim to continue supporting these charities as we move into the new year.

As we set our goals for 2023, we are inspired to do more and donate more, and above all else, put even more love into giving.