Ken Simon, one of the firm’s partners, has been involved in numerous community charitable and service organizations for almost thirty years. His involvement dates back to 1981, when he was one of the founding members and Chairman of the Board for the Bay Area Food Bank when he lived in Mobile, Alabama. Today, this organization supports over 700 feeding programs and recently received the $100,000 Pepsi Refresh Project Grant announced on the Today Show. His leadership and willingness to give is also guiding other lawyers in the firm to do the same. Ken has continued his dedication to community service, as exemplified in the list below of his current involvement and leadership positions with charitable organizations:

• Cornerstone Schools of Alabama: Ken served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cornerstone Schools of Alabama for five years. Cornerstone is a highly successful K-8 private school which provides a high quality education for at-risk, urban children in a Christ-centered environment. Cornerstone recognizes the unique challenges facing today’s urban families and provides the tools and resources necessary for children to develop to their fullest potential while supporting parents in nurturing their child’s personal and spiritual growth, enhancing self-esteem, and teaching personal responsibility.
• Salvation Army: He has been serving on the Advisory Board of the Birmingham Salvation Army since 1992, and served for many years as Chairman of the Salvation Army’s Youth Services Council supporting the operations of the Salvation Army’s Crestwood facility, a home and school for at-risk adolescents and young adults. The center offers a residential treatment program as well as an educational treatment program.
• Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School: Ken serves as Chairman of Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School, the local unit of the Cristo Rey Network which is a national association of high schools providing quality, Catholic, college preparatory education to inner city children. Under Ken’s leadership, the conversion of Birmingham’s Holy Family High School to a Cristo Rey High School is moving forward. Cristo Rey schools offer a college prep high school curriculum to our inner city children and provide internship programs with local businesses. There are now 250 children attending the Holy Family Cristo Rey High School. Ken devotes several hours a week to this organization. Holy Family offers another high school option for the children who complete Cornerstone Schools of Alabama, another organization close to Ken’s heart. Mike Vercher, Will Pringle and Oscar Price are involved with these organizations as well and serve in leadership roles.
• Birmingham Emmaus Community: Ken was one of the founders of the Birmingham Emmaus Community. Its unique focus is to promote spiritual growth and sponsor spiritual retreats in communities all around the world. The Birmingham Emmaus Community was the first of its kind in the world to bring the Emmaus movement to the inner city. As Community Lay Director of the Birmingham Emmaus Community for its first five years, Ken was involved in organizing weekend spiritual retreats at Camp Chula Vista. Since the first retreat held in 1995, there have been almost sixty retreats more than 1,000 participants. Ken has attended and been involved in more than twenty-five of them.