Traveling Companions OARS OARS, formerly the Organization of the Assabet River (OAR), is a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation whose mission is to protect, preserve, and enhance the natural and recreational features of the Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord rivers, their tributaries, and watersheds. OARS started as the Organization for the Assabet River (OAR) and was originally purposed to protect the Assabet River. When the organization’s work began to include the Concord and Sudbury rivers, it came to Mintz Levin for help updating its name and purpose. Because its articles and bylaws had not been updated since it was incorporated in 1987, a complete overhaul of its governing documents was also needed. Mintz Levin attorneys Anthony Hubbard and Katy Ward assisted OARS in this work, which was completed earlier this year. Order of St. Lazarus The American Association of the Order of St. Lazarus is the charitable arm in the United States of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem. It originally served victims of Hansen’s disease (leprosy), but today embraces a number of different charitable pursuits. Mitchell Lathrop serves as the secretary and general counsel of the American Association of the Order of St. Lazarus and his work includes preparation of corporate minutes, giving advice on charitable donations, and keeping the corporation’s status current in roughly 13 states. Painted Rock Foundation Painted Rock Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds for Painted Rock Elementary School, a public school in Poway, California. Andrew Skale and Sebastian Lucier assisted with updating the foundation’s bylaws and provided general corporate counsel on other documents and issues. Andrew also assisted with contract review and provided legal advice regarding the foundation’s yearly auction fundraiser. PGSS Alumni Association Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences (PGSS) was an intensive five-week program of collaborative study in the sciences held at Carnegie Mellon University from its inception in 1982 until it was canceled by the State of Pennsylvania in 2009. Acceptance was merit-based and free of charge, enabling students to attend regardless of their economic status. With the help of Mintz Levin attorneys Muriel Liberto (a PGSS alum) and Anthony Hubbard, the alumni of PGSS established themselves as a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation and applied for federal recognition as a charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In November 2010, PGSS Alumni Association, the corporation, received its determination of tax-exempt status from the IRS and immediately began raising money. The present goal of the organization, aside from establishing an alumni network, is to restore funding for PGSS, or a similar program. Since receiving its 501(c)(3) designation, PGSS Alumni Association has raised over $100,000 from hundreds of alumni toward its goal. San Diego Better Business Bureau The San Diego Better Business Bureau is a nonprofit organization, supported by local businesses, that seeks to foster an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other. The bureau’s purpose is to give consumers and businesses alike an unbiased source to guide them on matters of trust. Andrew Skale serves as a certified and trained arbitrator for the bureau, helping to resolve disputes by listening to both sides, weighing the evidence, and issuing a decision. Andrew has served as an arbitrator on multiple matters in front of the bureau and has written opinions that serve as a final judgment on a variety of cases. Andrew most enjoys his role as arbitrator because it offers citizens who don’t have the resources to hire a lawyer an open, fair venue to plead their case to a neutral decision maker who renders a swift, final judgment as a resolution to their disputes.