226 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 80 PART 2 MARCH 2022
Their dedication and adaptability ensured the VBA survived through the
most troublesome times of our institutional memory.
Beginning their second year as members-at-large are Heather Doi, Ryan
Laity, Priscilla Wingenbach, Paula Krawus, Wendy Zhang and Megan
Young. Elected during the pandemic, this group is uniquely motivated to
rebuild our membership, deliver our marquee events and find creative new
ways to fulfill our mandate in the coming year.
The AGM also brought changes to the leadership of the board of directors.
Culminating five years’ service to the VBA, Andrea Fraser completed her
term as past president. Andrea, often referred to as one of the brightest stars
in the constellation of past presidents, guided us to a sustainable position in
circumstances that prevented the VBA from hosting its traditional events.
With the VBA safe, Samantha Chang defined her term as president by challenging
the board to engage the membership and fulfill our mandate without
in-person events. In the past year, we began health and wellness
challenges, continued our Breakfast with the Bench summer series virtually
and expanded our CLE programming.
Though it is daunting to follow in their footsteps, I am inspired by Andrea
and Sam’s adaptability and tenacity through two years of uncertainty. I am
also inspired by the excitement and enthusiasm of the AGM attendees. Perhaps
the evening’s atmosphere reflected the release of pent-up social
energy; however, helping lawyers connect with their peers and colleagues
from all sizes of firm, practice areas and sides of the bar is undoubtedly
what the VBA does best. I am proud of the ways we have expanded the services
we provide our members, but safely hosting our traditional major
events in 2022 is my top priority.
To that end, we are actively planning the Whistler Ski Race, the Judge’s
Lunch, the Devil’s Advocate, the Dodgeball Tournament and the Fall Festival.
Our committee chairpeople are drafting budgets, securing venues and
identifying sponsors. While in-person events are contingent on public
health circumstances, our goal is to be ready and willing once it is safe to
proceed.
The other major in-person event we are planning is the 2022 AGM. Last
year’s hybrid event exceeded all expectations. However, the charity silent
auction, which traditionally raises over $17,000 for Access Pro Bono and the
Lawyers Assistance Program, was sorely missed. The auction has not been
feasible for the last two years. Our 2022 goal is to bring it back bigger and
better. It should be noted that last year’s AGM included some fundraising
efforts. In addition to donating all proceeds from virtual ticket sales to
Access Pro Bono, we held a 50/50 raffle. Thank you to everyone who pur-