Lerner & Rowe ‘Gives Back’ to Northwest Indiana, Chicagoland with heartfelt community service, partnerships with local organizations

Beyond its dedicated service to clients in and out of the courtroom, the Lerner & Rowe team consistently works to make a positive impact within their communities. The personal injury law firm is actively involved throughout Northwest Indiana and surrounding areas, resulting in countless individuals, businesses, animals, and children all feeling the heartfelt contributions made by the team over the course of many generous years. 

“Our involvement stems from our foundation, Lerner and Rowe Gives Back, where we’re committed to partnering with different organizations within the community to help support them, as well as putting on our own events that also get back to the community,” said Arianna “Ari” Baiz, Lerner & Rowe outreach director for Indiana and Illinois.

Lerner and Rowe Gives Back has partnered with around 30 different organizations as of today, with each partnership spanning multiple years so the relationship can be felt to its fullest potential for all parties involved. This allows the foundation to really get to know the people it serves as well as other ways it can lend a hand beyond the initial reason for connecting.

“We really focus on strengthening our partnerships every single year,” Baiz said. “When we partner with an organization, we really try to strengthen that relationship year after year and keep a long-lasting relationship with them. We usually aren’t partnering with different or new organizations every single year. Some of our longest, strongest partnerships are with organizations like Humane Indiana and Opportunity Enterprises.”

The giving goes far beyond the foundation, however. Even in their off hours, Baiz wants all her colleagues, from the receptionists up to the attorneys, to always be inspired to give back. The foundation is simply a starting point looking to make a ripple effect – if people see just how much it’s making a difference, others hopefully will want to follow suit and do the same.

“Giving is really at the heart of everything that we do,” Baiz said. “We try to get our team involved, whether that’s coming out to different events that we have or events that the organizations are having. We try to do volunteer activities, and we want our team to be as involved as possible so they can tangibly see what it is that we’re doing in the community through the foundation and the result of their hard work.”

Baiz enjoys every moment she gets to support her community, especially the big giveaway events where she’s able to help distribute meals during the holidays and school supplies to students before they go back to school in the fall. There’s nothing like seeing the smiles light up on the children’s faces as they receive a fresh set of supplies, making them eager to take on the academic year ahead. It also gives the parents a huge sign of relief, too.

“Some of my favorite moments come from our big events that we put on. At Thanksgiving time, we do a big meal giveaway with 1,000 Thanksgiving meals,” Baiz said. “We also do a big giveaway with backpacks and school supplies. You get to see the joy on the children’s faces when they get to come in and they pick out their backpack – they’re picking out their favorite color, and they’re excited to start the school year. We typically give them hot dogs and ice cream, too. It’s more of a celebration to them that they’re going back to school, and we’re also able to alleviate some of that financial stress from the parents.”

Baiz believes that a strong sense of togetherness is the backbone for successful businesses, towns, cities, and just about everything else that helps a community thrive. While Lerner & Rowe and the foundation have made major headway with over more than 10 years of service for their local communities, the potential is boundless if even more people join in on the action. One person’s contributions may only reach so far, but it still leaves a memorable impact, and their actions can invite many others just like them to join forces to help make their communities one of a kind.

“Something that I always say is our businesses are only as strong as our communities are, so if we can all work together to offer support to different organizations or those in our community who are struggling, I think the possibilities are endless for what we can do,” Baiz said. “No one person can solve all the problems alone. Though we can only offer so much support to the organizations in the community, if we all work together, I think we can really make a difference.” 

To learn more about how Lerner and Rowe Gives Back is making a lasting impact in your community and how to get involved, visit lernerandrowegivesback.org.