Business at its best - Ford & Harrison partner named national trustee of Boys & Girls Clubs of America
January 1, 2008
"Growing up, I never came home to an empty house, and it was that loving environment that enabled
me to reach the point in life where I can now give back to my community. For some people, their
family situation is such they don't have all the benefits of a steady home life. Through the Boys
& Girls Clubs, we provide children with a safe place to develop those social and communal
skills so necessary to achieving one's dreams."
That's the motivation for Chad A. Shultz, a partner with the national labor and employment
law firm of Ford & Harrison, for his involvement with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He
recently was elected to serve as a national trustee for the organization.
Shultz began his involvement four years ago when he joined the board of directors of the A.R.
"Gus" Barksdale Boys & Girls Club in Conyers, one of 22 clubs in metro Atlanta. After two
years, Shultz became the board's president and moved the club's annual fundraiser to the Georgia
Aquarium, doubling the number of guests participating in the event. By the end of that first year,
Shultz had doubled the club's annual revenue.
In his second year, Shultz oversaw the fundraising efforts and eventual construction of a
$50,000 playground. He also implemented a program to collect used computers for the club's computer
lab. To date, this initiative has received $26,000 in donations from the local community, and Ford
& Harrison has donated 32 used computers.
In becoming a national trustee, Shultz is confident he'll be able to have a much greater
impact. "This new position will enable me to use my law firm's national presence to solicit support
for Boys & Girls Club initiatives across the country," Shultz says. The organization's national
headquarters are in Atlanta.