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MBF honors Amherst attorney Charles J. DiMare with 2015 President’s Award

Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015
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Photo Credit: Allie Ford
DiMare (right) receives the 2015 MBF President's Award from MBF President Robert J. Ambrogi.

Charles J. DiMare, Esq., a partner at the Law Firm of Antonino & DiMare, received the 2015 MBF President's Award at the foundation's Amherst Grantee Reception on Oct. 27.

The MBF President's Award is given to individuals and organizations who have demonstrated exemplary service to the foundation, as well as to the Massachusetts legal community, through their leadership and commitment to increasing the availability of legal services for low-income people in the state.

DiMare was honored for his longstanding support of the MBF and its mission to increase access to justice. A dedicated volunteer and generous donor, DiMare's involvement with the MBF began in 1995, when he joined the MBF Society of Fellows. DiMare has served as a Grant Advisory Committee member for the Western Mass. region for many years, where he has helped to advise the foundation's trustees on grant allocations to organizations throughout the four western counties. Of his work with the MBF, DiMare noted, "I have welcomed the opportunity to give back to the community in a way that allows me to help people and the legal profession at the same time."

MBF President Robert J. Ambrogi of Rockport said: "Chuck's belief in the importance of making civil legal assistance available to those in need and improving the administration of justice for everyone shines in his thoughtful and keen analysis of the programs he has helped the MBF evaluate over the years."

The event was also an opportunity for the MBF to celebrate its current grant recipients and their work, which includes providing civil legal services to people who otherwise could not afford them and improving the administration of justice in the commonwealth. For the coming year, the MBF has awarded more than $480,000 to programs in central and western mass that help thousands of individuals and families with legal issues relating to domestic violence, housing, access to special education services, health care, discrimination and many more. Betsy Williams of the Mediation Training Collaborative in Greenfield shared the experience of her organization as a grant recipient at the event.

This year, the MBF awarded more than $1.9 million in grants through its annual Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Grants Program. These grants will fund 82 programs conducted by 54 nonprofit organizations throughout Massachusetts. Representatives of many of these organizations were in attendance.