CBM in the Community
CBM in the Community
Community leadership is a core value of Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell (CBM). Our team members are dedicated, committed individuals who recognize the value of giving their time to improve our local communities. We invite you to check out examples below of how we try to make the world a better place.
CBM Team Members Contribute to Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce’s Back-to-School Backpack Drive
August 2024
Alain Pankopf and Caitlin O’Neal, respectively manager and learning & development specialist at CBM, joined with the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce to support a back-to-school backpack drive in support of students returning to school. Working alongside other members of the Chambers’ NextExecs Committee on Tuesday, August 20, Alain and Caitlin helped assemble more than 300 backpacks of donated school supply items for students in need throughout Montgomery County.
CBM Community Service Team Clears More Than 70 Trees of Invasive Plant Growth
July 2024
A team of colleagues from CBM joined the Rock Creek Conservancy on Saturday morning, July 13 for a clean-up initiative in Washington, DC’s Rock Creek Park. Eight community service-motivated CBMers, joined by friends and family members, worked hard for nearly two hours to clear English ivy from around the bases of nearly 75 trees, filling 25 garbage bags in the process. English ivy can block sunlight, damage bark and lead to fungal rot to accelerate the death of trees, leading to a need to remove it from the area around other plant life.
Julia Lafferty Honors Women’s History Month by Leading Second Giving Initiative for I Support the Girls
May 2024
Julia Lafferty, partner and a director of not-for-profit services at CBM, led a campaign for team members to collect hygiene products for I Support the Girls, an organization that works through an international network of affiliates to collect and distribute items to women experiencing homelessness, domestic violence or poverty. Beginning in March, in honor of Women’s History Month, through the end of April, the team collectively contributed 8 boxes of feminine and hygiene products. Additionally, individual team members donated $250, which received a matching donation from CBM.
Healthy Meals For Washington, DC: CBM Team Prepares 150 Sandwiches For Martha’s Table
March 2024
A team at CBM, led by Manager Anne Hayes, gathered in the firm’s Bethesda office the evening of Thursday, March 14 to prepare 120 sandwiches for Martha’s Table, a Washington, DC-based not-for-profit organization. The organization’s mission to improve opportunities to thrive for Washingtonians includes providing access to healthy food in combination with other services. (Anne and her family plan to prepare and contribute approximately 30 more sandwiches before dropping off the food on Friday, March 15).
CBM Financial Editor Martina Childress Spearheads Contribution Of More Than 70 Toys To Local Charity’s Toy Drive
December 2023
Martina Childress, financial editor at CBM, spearheaded the collection of more than 70 toys by the firm’s team members in support of the holiday toy drive by La Clínica del Pueblo, a local charity celebrating its 40th anniversary. Martina and her husband Charlie dropped off the gifts at All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington, DC on Saturday, December 9. La Clínica del Pueblo is a not-for-profit charity whose mission is to build a healthy Latino community through culturally appropriate health services, focusing on those most in need throughout Washington, DC and Maryland.
Running for a Cause: Volunteering for a 5K Event with a Purpose
June 2023
As I reflect on the past couple years, one particular experience stands out in my mind—a journey filled with sweat, smiles and a profound sense of purpose. Little did I know that this race would become a catalyst for change, both in my life and in our tight-knit community. Lace up your running shoes, join me on this remarkable journey and discover the profound impact of volunteering for a 5K event with a purpose.
CBM Continues Support for Manna Food Center in Collaboration with Local Middle School Student
April 2023
CBM team members contributed to a food drive that ran from mid-March to mid-April and which resulted in the collection of nearly 10 bags of food for the Manna Food Center, a Montgomery County-based food bank dedicated to eliminating hunger through food distribution, education and advocacy. The initiative continues CBM’s years-long dedication to community service and partly the result of collaboration with a local middle schooler, the son of CBM Marketing Director Joe Kovacs.
CBM and Team Members Provide $10,200 and Supplies to Support Earthquake Victims in Turkey and Syria
March 2023
CBM and individual team members have collectively contributed $10,200 and other supplies to help those impacted by the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Since the crisis, individual staff contributed cash donations totaling $5,100 to aid organizations such as the American Turkish Association of Washington, DC, the White Helmets, the Syrian American Medical Society Foundation, Turkish Philanthropy Funds, World Central Kitchen, Doctors Without Borders and others, as well as essential resources including blankets, sleeping bags and lamps to the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC.
Socks and Hats for the Homeless – Martina Childress Continues a Lifetime of Community Service
October 2022
To honor CBM’s 100th anniversary which we celebrated in 2021, Martina Childress set a goal of donating 100 pairs of socks and 100 hats. With CBM’s enormous support, she was able to donate 128 pairs of socks and 100 hats to So Others Might Eat, this winter. She says she will be retired when CBM celebrates its 200th anniversary but that’s not stopping her from setting another goal!
Returning to Her Roots: Audit Supervisor Kathleen Booker Joins the Board of Directors of Kid Power to Resume Her Passion for Youth Development
August 2022
Growing up, Audit Supervisor Kathleen Booker spent a lot of time involved in youth development – doing everything from after-school tutoring for underserved communities to serving as a production camp counselor to serving as the board of directors’ student representative for an arts organization. Now that she’s on her way to establishing a successful career at CBM, she’s returning to her roots as the newest board member of Kid Power.
CBM’s 100th anniversary celebrations included a significant commitment bringing our passion into our communities.
The CBM100-Charities initiative, which ran in 2020 and 2021, called for each team member to lead a charitable event. Below are details about the community service events the firm participated in, as well as about the great teamwork and impact we had throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan region, in other parts of the country and internationally, that serve as home for our 100 team members.
Our efforts were recognized by the Washington Business Journal, which named us to their list of top philanthropic organizations based on the number of volunteer hours invested and dollars donated in 2020.
Sal and Joy’s Excellent Adventure – Taking CBM100-Charities Across the Country
CBM100 – Charities Event: (November – December 2021)
CBM’s CBM100-Charities initiative showed what ambition looks like on the part of CBM Document Management Specialist Sal Attanasio’s decision to take the idea of community service cross-country.
CBM Senior Auditor Chichi Bhene Prepares and Hand-Delivers 150 Meals to Cape Town Shelters on Christmas Day
CBM100 – Charities Event: (December 25, 2021)
Senior Auditor Chichi Bhene is known for feeding people and being a natural nurturer. As she says, “you don’t come to my house hungry and leave hungry. You certainly don’t go out with me and don’t grab anything to eat.”
CBM Partner Joe Wilson Serves Dinner to Immigrants and Families Receiving Pro Bono Legal Support
CBM100 – Charities Event: (October 6, 2021)
Joe Wilson has been a long-time member of the financial review committee of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Arlington, VA but he recently decided to broaden his involvement when his church announced a volunteer activity with a legal aid ministry called Restoration Immigration Legal Aid (RILA).
CBM Partners with Together We Rise and CONCERN4KIDS As They Put Together Sweet Cases for Foster Children
CBM100 – Charities Event: (September 2021)
Deborah May and Tana Papinova collaborated together to help foster children when they move from one home to another. They and other CBM staff members, Sue-Jane Haight, Malcolm Jones, April Roberts, Sal Attanasio and Thomas Caggiano, put sweet cases together that were ordered from Together We Rise which then were donated to CONCERN4KIDS.
CBM Team Member Malcolm Jones Partners with Office Supplies Store to Direct School Supplies to DC Metro-Area Students
CBM100 – Charities Event: (September 2021)
As the father of a young boy, CBM administrative team member Malcolm Jones knows the importance of classrooms with sufficient school supplies. For two consecutive years, as part of his CBM100-Charities initiative, Malcolm partnered with the office supplies store, Staples, to deliver classroom materials to underprivileged children in schools throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan region.
CBM Sorts 1,450 Pounds of Food For Families Facing Hunger and Food Insecurity in Montgomery County
CBM100 – Charities Event: (September 2021)
A team of eight CBM team members sorted 1,450 pounds of food at the Manna Food Center’s warehouse in Gaithersburg, MD for families facing hunger and food insecurity throughout Montgomery County. The mission’s organization is to eliminate hunger through food distribution, education and advocacy, and CBM team leader Joe Kovacs, who coordinated the CBM100-Charities activity, has supported the center through donations and volunteerism since early 2020.
CBM Team Members Coordinate Donation of Textbooks and Other Educational Resources to Washington, DC Elementary School Classroom
CBM100 – Charities Event: (September 2021)
Students in the Washington, DC public schools system benefited from the coordinated donation of $500 worth of textbooks and educational supports to the DC Education Fund, a group that backs cutting-edge initiatives with the potential to generate systemic change. Senior Accounting Specialist Anne Hayes and Administrative Assistant Shanta Jordan combined efforts for their CBM100-Charities event to solicit $285 from individual employees during the summer (with an additional $204 contribution from CBM) in preparation for the upcoming school year, in addition to direct donation of school supplies from team members.
Pete Reilly, Debbie May, Jeff May and Alex Seleznev Participated in the Annual Charitable Golf Event to Benefit the Local Chapter of the Financial Planning Association
CBM100 – Charities Event: (June 2021)
Peter Reilly, Debbie May, Jeff May and Alex Seleznev participated in the Annual Charitable Golf event to benefit he local chapter of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). The association’s objective is to increase financial literacy and benefit the public by helping to ensure that financial planning delivered through proficient and ethical financial planners.
CBM and Team Members Donate $1,170 to Honor Women’s History Month
CBM100 – Charities Event: (March 2021)
CBM donated $1,170 to several organizations to honor Women’s History Month in March. The campaign, spearheaded by D-PATH, an internal employee affinity group dedicated to supporting diversity and inclusion, is part of CBM100-Charities, a two-year initiative to celebrate the firm’s 100th anniversary through team-wide charitable giving and volunteerism.
CBM Senior Auditor Provides Nourishment for the Less Fortunate in Cape Town, South Africa
CBM100 – Charities Event: (February 27, 2021)
Chichi Bhene, one of CBM’s newest team members, wasted no time in contributing to the firm’s CBM100-Charities initiative, a project through which team members serve charitable causes across the Washington, DC metropolitan region or, in Chichi’s case, in South Africa. Chichi, a senior auditor in Cape Town, spent this past Saturday personally managing a food drive that included 62 meals of a chicken and cheese sandwich, two apples, juice and water and a snack.
CBM Talent Acquisition Manager Tana Papinova Leads Food Drive for Capital Area Food Bank
CBM100 – Charities Event: (December 1, 2020) – Capital Area Food Bank
From December 1 to December 15, Talent Acquisition Manager Tana Papinova led a donation initiative alongside Firm Administrator Linda Murphy and Document Management Specialist Sal Attanasio for the Capital Area Food Bank. Tana encouraged all staff to fill two donation bins left in Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell’s Bethesda and DC offices with canned and non-perishable goods. At the end of the collection period, Tana had several boxes filled with donations for the food bank. She also collected $1,050 in direct donations. Tana said she was inspired by the Capital Area Food Bank’s calls for donations and plans another donation drive at CBM in the next coming months.
CBM Donates 2,500 Meals to DC-Area Individuals and Families Facing Food Insecurity
CBM100 – Charities Event: (November 26, 2020) – Capital Area Food Bank
CBM has donated 2,500 meals to customers served by the Capital Area Food Bank. During a year that has tested the health, well-being and food security of countless thousands across the DC metropolitan region, everyone at the firm is grateful for the opportunity to continue its business of serving clients…and giving back when needed.
Maria Luck Inspires Blood Donations at CBM
CBM100 – Charities Event: (November 23, 2020) – OneBlood
On November 23, 2020 CBM’s Audit Senior-In-Charge Maria Luck donated blood at a OneBlood location in Oviedo Florida. OneBlood is a not-for-profit dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of others through their work with blood and stem cells which assists in furthering scientific research. During her donation time, Maria was able give a quarter gallon of blood to the cause. She was compelled to donate as “in a COVID world, on top of the world’s individual normal everyday health crises, it is imperative the doctors and hospitals have all the supplies they need to save lives, and blood is one of them. We all produce a donatable excess, and we can make a difference in life or death just some of our spare time”.
CBM Tax Manager Lucy Gomez Prepares Food for Local DMV Shelters
CBM100 – Charities Event: (November 7, 2020) – Clarksburg CAN & Manna Food Center
In early November, CBM’s Tax Manager Lucy Gomez volunteered at Manna Food Center and Clarksburg CAN – Community Assistance Network to package non-perishable goods for homeless shelters in the DMV Area. She spent a total of 10 hours volunteering at the two locations and prepared a number of meals in the process.
CBM Run/Walk Event in Alexandria Raises $1,790 for The Children’s Inn at NIH
CBM100 – Charities Event: (September 27, 2020) – The Children’s Inn at NIH
On Sunday, September 27, CBM hosted a charity run/walk in Alexandria, Virginia that raised $1,790 for The Children’s Inn at NIH, a not-for-profit organization that helps provide a safe haven for children undergoing intensive medical treatments and hospitalizations at the National Institutes of Health. The event, organized by CBM Senior-in-Charge Kathleen Booker, continues the firm’s CBM-100 Charities initiative, kicked off late last year, to celebrate the firm’s 100th anniversary.
CBM Supervisor Jessica Rose Cleans Up Satilla River in Georgia
CBM100 – Charities Event: (September 19, 2020) – Satilla River Cleanup
On September 19, Jessica Rose and her husband participated in the annual Satilla River Cleanup. The effort gathered 40+ volunteers to help clean up the Satilla River in which 432 plastic bottles, 402 beverage cans, 133 food wrappers and more were collected.
CBM Principal Jane Ochsman Rowny Leads Initiative to Collect Over 100 Donations for Charity
CBM100 – Charities Event: (September 15, 2020) – Various Charities
CBM Principal Jane Ochsman Rowny launched an initiative in March that took advantage of the current at-home environment all staff have found themselves in and to help the local community in the process. She asked staff to donate to their favorite local charities by cleaning out their closets, drawers, shelves or garages of items they no longer need. The idea was sparked by Jane’s wish to alleviate some of the hardships experienced by those around the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CBM Senior Tax Manager Mikki Obreja Leads Tree Planting Initiative
CBM100 – Charities Event: (September 9, 2020) – Various Charities
Senior Tax Manager Mikki Obreja began a team initiative this fall to plant 100 trees around the world in honor of CBM’s 100th anniversary. She encouraged staff to contribute either by planting their own trees or by donating to organizations that plant trees around the world. The movement was motivated by her desire to offset the effects of climate change and provide places of shelter/food for wildlife animals across the globe.
Chairman of the Board Peter Reilly and Wife Welcome Veterans of the Battle of Iwo Jima
CBM100 – Charities Event: (March 4, 2020) – Hyatt, Arlington
Seventy five years ago Crissy’s Uncle “jack” Thurman landed on Iwo Jima and was dispatched to help secure the airfield at the base of mount Suribachi. As an 18 year old marine fighting for the airfield, “I looked over my right shoulder, and I saw a flag going up, it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw in my life.”
CBM Firm Administrator Spearheads Donation of Coats and Other Winter Items to Aid Local Homeless and Underprivileged
CBM100 – Charities Event: (February 7, 2020) – Central Union Mission
As part of CBM’s ongoing CBM100 charitable events, the firm’s administrator Linda Murphy spearheaded and managed the collection of gently worn coats and other winter items such as jackets, scarves and hats during the month of January for Central Union Mission. Central Union Mission is a faith-based not-for-profit organization and the oldest private social service agency–founded in 1884–in Washington, DC. Linda networked throughout the firm to enlist donations, generating several bags full of items from generous team members.
CBM Bakes Cookies for the Bethesda Fire Department and Montgomery County Police to Show Gratitude
CBM100 – Charities Event: (January 21, 2020) – Bethesda Fire Department and Montgomery County Police
On January 21, Senior Tax Accountant Ginger Wu and Tax Manager Brenda Haase led team members Aurora Wheeler, Lorraine Flude, Winnie Yang, Tana Papinova, Abbie Niehoff and Jenny Wang in decorating cookies for the Bethesda Fire Department and Montgomery County Police to show gratitude for keeping the communities they serve safe. The cookies were decorated with the circle from the CBM logo.
CBM Cleans Up Trash from Rock Creek Park in Partnership with Rock Creek Park Conservancy
CBM100 – Charities Event: (January 10, 2020) – Rock Creek Park Conservancy
On January 10, Litigation Support Manager Jordan Egert led CBM staff members Tana Papinova, Pat Drolet, Reema Patel and Kathleen Booker in volunteering at Rock Creek Conservancy’s Rock Creek Park clean-up event. The Conservancy aids in education, restoration, and preservation of Rock Creek’s history and beauty, including 33 miles of creeks. The CBM team combined forces, spending several hours together cleaning up the river banks and wooded areas near Broad Branch Road. Their efforts, combined with those of other volunteers, helped clean up roughly a half mile of forested area and resulted in a collection of more than 30 bags of trash.
CBM Prepares Meals for Homeless Shelters and Transitional Homes in Partnership with DC Central Kitchen
CBM100 – Charities Event: (January 2, 2020) – DC Central Kitchen
On January 2, Staff Accountant Derya Gazioglu gathered CBM staff members John Shlesinger, Bhavin Patel, Grace Song, Mikki Obreja, Minji Kim and Michael Corvelli to volunteer at the DC Central Kitchen, a charitable organization which “was founded in 1989 by a young nightclub manager named Robert Egger. Robert’s idea for a ‘central kitchen’ involved picking up wasted food, turning it into balanced meals for shelters and nonprofits and using that process to train jobless adults in the culinary arts .” – DC Central Kitchen, 2020
CBM Donates More Than 100 Toys to The Children’s Inn at NIH During the Firm’s Annual Toy Drive
CBM100 – Charities Event: (December 13, 2019) – Children’s Inn at NIH
CBM kicked off its annual toy drive in mid-November in support of The Children’s Inn at NIH, a residential facility located on the grounds of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, that allows families with seriously ill children participating in research at the NIH to stay free of charge. With just over 100 team members at the firm, project lead Martina Childress, who serves as CBM’s editor and senior proofreader, challenged colleagues to each contribute a toy to the charitable giving event, with proceeds benefiting children from all walks of life both nationally and internationally who were staying at The Children’s Inn during the holiday season. Click here to read more.
John Shlesinger Volunteers as a Coach for the Fort Hunt Youth Athletic Association (FHYAA)
CBM100 – Charities Event: (December 2019) – Fort Hunt Youth Athletic Association (FHYAA)
John Shlesinger always had a passion for basketball considering he played in high school and countless amounts of pick up games. His continued to pursue his passion of basketball by coaching the Fort Hunt Youth Athletic Association (FHYAA) from December 2019 to February 2020 full of 15 to 16 year old boys.
CBM Tax Practice Director Serves 300 Meals for So Others Might Eat
CBM100 – Charities Event: (December 3, 2019) – So Others Might Eat
CBM Tax Practice Director Richard Morris learns just what it takes to serve hundreds of people as he takes his chili-preparation tradition to a new level by becoming actively involved in a kitchen run by local charity, So Others Might Eat. Preparing meals at St. Peter’s parish in Olney, Maryland became an inspiring challenge as Richard and volunteers worked hard to prepare 300 meals of chili, green beans and cookies for local populations in need.
CBM Raises Awareness for Critical Health Issue by Participating in 2019 Race to End Women’s Cancer
CBM100 – Charities Event: (November 3, 2019) – Foundation for Women’s Cancer
CBM Audit Supervisor, Lori Reynolds participated in the National Race to End Women’s Cancer, and annual Washington, DC-based race, which seeks to raise $500,000 for research purposes as well as awareness for the work of the Foundation for Women’s Cancer. The foundation has successfully generated $8.5 million in different research grant awards over the years, all dedicated toward supporting them the fight for a cure for women’s gynecological cancers.
Meal Assembly by CBM Team Members Supports Thousands of Hospital Patients in Yemen
CBM100 – Charities Event: (November 2, 2019) – Rise Against Hunger
On Saturday, November 2, CBM’s Assistant Controller Lisa Sippel and Tax Process Manager Lucy Gomez joined a large group of volunteers from the McLean Rotary Club to assemble meals in support of Rise Against Hunger, an organization that provides millions of meals to those in need in developing nations around the world.
The meals prepared during their event, which consisted of soy beans, dried vegetables, rice and vitamin packets, went to help patients hospitalized in the nation of Yemen. Despite Rise Against Hunger’s long tenure (the group was founded as Stop Hunger Now 20 years ago), this was the first time that the charity was able to ship meals to Yemen, creating a swell of excitement for the charity and participating volunteers.
CBM Professionals Fundraise by Running the 2019 Marine Corps 10K In Support of The Children’s Inn at NIH
CBM100 – Charities Event: (October 27, 2019) – Marine Corps 10K
On a Sunday, October 27 morning which was, depending on any given moment, either wet from an intermittent downpour or warm whenever the rain let up, Executive Vice President Dan Weaver led CBM staff members, Jordan Egert, Abbie Niehoff and Joe Kovacs in their second annual Marine Corps 10K, in fundraising support of The Children’s Inn at NIH. Dan serves on the board of directors of The Children’s Inn, a not-for-profit residence that provides support for families with seriously ill children who are involved in leading-edge research studies at the Inn’s site on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.
CBM Presentation Inspires Donations in Support of Mid-County United Ministries
CBM100 – Charities Event: (October 17, 2019) – Mid-County United Ministries
CBM Executive Vice President Debbie May generated $400 in donations for Mid-County United Ministries by developing an inspired lunch networking and presentation event on Thursday, October 17 featuring guest speaker Susy Elder Murphy. Murphy, owner of Debra Levy Eldercare Associates, led a presentation at CBM’s Bethesda, MD office for retirement-aged individuals, or those nearing retirement, on financial and life decision-making at the end of one’s career. One key focus area was whether to remain in one’s home or move to a community of peers or caregivers.
CBM Volunteers with Maryland Food Bank to Help Feed Children Throughout Maryland
CBM100 – Charities Event: (July 24, 2019) – Maryland Food Bank
On Wednesday, July 24, 2019, CBM team members volunteered with the Maryland Food Bank to prepare meals for underprivileged children and those facing food uncertainty throughout the state. The team’s accomplishments included preparing 550 school breakfasts and 100 lunches for children across several state counties and for delivery to five soup kitchens throughout the Baltimore metropolitan region. Click here to read more.