Connecting With Our Communities: The Power of Collective Action

A common thread that runs through all Interlaw firms is a strong commitment to supporting their local communities. That is because they are all independent firms with deep roots in the towns and cities in which they practice. 

Our lawyers are very much a part of the communities they serve. Interlaw Cares was set up to build on the important work being done across the network and to create a collaborative social responsibility program. 

Since then, it has established a central fund to support important causes and initiatives across the world, with the capability to provide both emergency relief and project aid. It also has a key role to play in shining a spotlight on the important causes our firms are supporting in their local communities. 

This is the first in a series of articles where we find out more about these important charities and projects that our firms are involved in around the world. 

Interlaw board director Jocelyn Bellerud is co-managing director of Owen Bird Law Corporation in Vancouver, British Colombia and on the leadership team of Interlaw Cares. 

Her firm has a long-standing relationship with many local community projects and charities, and Jocelyn has taken a deep interest in this area. One cause close to her heart is Moms Offering More (MOM). 

This community-driven initiative, with support from the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, brings together like-minded women dedicated to supporting historically underserved youth and families in the United States and Canada. 

MOM’s objective is to support organizations across the United States and Canada that serve single mothers, invest in food security and childcare, assist mothers in pursuing new opportunities, and support families facing multifaceted challenges. 

In the lead up to the 2024 holiday season, Jocelyn and the Owen Bird team supported fundraising efforts to create more than one hundred holiday hampers for vulnerable families in Vancouver. This was a hands-on project, which saw MOM volunteers and their children come together to stuff the hampers full of goodies. 

The holiday hamper drive impacted 429 people in the Downtown Eastside community. Each hamper contained $400 worth of grocery and clothing gift cards, along with warm clothing (toques, blankets, mittens, socks), toys (teddy bears, books, games, coloring supplies), bath and body products and nutritious food items. The hampers enabled families to cook a holiday meal, purchase gifts and strengthen family connections by creating lasting memories. 

During the past 12 months, the organization has also launched its range of MOM merch, which featured on Oprah Daily, with 100% of proceeds going directly to supporting single mothers and vulnerable families 2024 was also an important period for the expansion of MOM in the United States, with MOM-US launch events taking place in Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta. 

In 2025, MOM will be hosting several community-based events throughout the US and Canada, focused on changing the trajectory of motherhood and identifying opportunities to continue to support, uplift and encourage women during their motherhood journey. 

For Jocelyn Bellerud, the MOM program is particularly significant as she explains: 

“Since becoming a mother myself, I have valued the support I have received from other mothers. The MOM program is designed to harness the collective power of mothers and direct it where it will benefit young people and their families. 

“The enthusiasm and commitment of its founder and CEO Kasondra Cohen-Herrendorf is central to the success of MOM. She is unwavering in her efforts to mobilizing the support of volunteers and partners from all corners of our local communities, for the benefit of those families who need it most, and we’re proud to be involved.” 

Find out more about MOM