Initiatives and Actions
In recent years, Foulston has achieved many of its goals related to opportunity and inclusion, though we know that continued improvement and advancement requires consistent and persistent attention. While Foulston knows that the work continues, below are a few accomplishments in this area:
- Implementing paid parental leave for both parents and for both staff and attorneys when our team members add to their families through birth or adoption.
- Recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day annually as a firm holiday, and encouraging every member of the firm to take part in a community service activity to honor Dr. King’s mission. We mark the event with presentations that highlight the importance of opportunity, leadership, and resilience in our communities. Speakers have included Kaye Monk-Morgan (president and CEO of the Kansas Leadership Center), Darryl Burton (co-founder of the Miracle of Innocence), and David Calvert (a Wichita attorney dedicated to disability advocacy). We also highlight historical leaders in the areas of civil rights, religious freedom, military service, education, and peace.
- Foulston hosted a recognition lunch to honor our staff and attorneys who have served in the military.
- Foulston actively participates in many organizations throughout the communities we serve, including chambers of commerce, Rotary clubs, bar committees, and others, that share our values of opportunity and inclusion.
- The firm supports and participates in the Wichita Bar Association’s Annual Judges’ Day Diversity Student Tour.
- Establishing a collection of books related to inclusion and equal opportunity topics within the firm’s library that are available to anyone in the firm to use.
- Participating in Butler Community College’s Advance Kansas program, which brings leaders together to learn about and collaborate on challenges and opportunities in businesses, organizations, and the community.
- Organizing outings to view films and plays, such as the world premiere of Kevin Wilmott’s “Becoming Martin.”
- Sharing periodic firmwide communications (written by attorneys and staff) reflecting a variety of topics, such as celebrating Veterans Day, acknowledging the contributions of workers with disabilities, learning about the role of Buffalo Soldiers in Kansas, the 19th Amendment, marking Pride Month, and explaining religious and cultural observances.
We recognize and act upon our firm and individual obligations to serve the legal profession and the communities where we work and live. Contributing to our communities is one of Foulston’s core values. Foulston’s attorneys have been leaders in various philanthropic endeavors for more than 100 years, volunteering time and lending financial support. Many Foulston attorneys serve on the boards of civic, charitable, and community organizations that enhance the regions where our offices are located (Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita) and the broader Midwest. Our involvement is wide-ranging, as we support charitable organizations in areas including improved healthcare, educational opportunities, youth programs, and community outreach.
Key to opportunity and inclusion initiatives, Foulston has organized several collaborative service engagements, supported by the firm and attended by lawyers and staff. Some of these include:
- Organizing Habitat for Humanity home builds
- Distributing free books to League 42 (a nonprofit organization to introduce affordable baseball and other valuable programming to kids in the community)
- Packaging food for the Kansas Food Bank
- Helping Homeworks, a non-profit that assists, renovates, and repairs housing for youth who have aged out of the foster-care system
- Picking up and filling orders for Simply Hygiene, which distributes hygiene products to promote health, hope, and dignity for children and adults
- Hosting free small-business training
- Participating in expungement clinics in collaboration with other organizations such as Kansas Legal Services and the Wichita Bar Association