10 | New Year 2022 | BAEC Bulletin FROM THE ERIE COUNTY BAR FOUNDATION
“MAPping” A Path Through the “Discontent” of Winter Antonio Vivaldi’s 1 signature composition The Four Seasons opens, appropriately with “spring.” “Spring,” after all, symbolizes rebirth and regeneration. Consisting of longer days that lead to summer, it is full of optimism. “Winter” concludes the composition with music that emphasizes survival. Every year we enter winter through a holiday season that, for some, includes family and celebration; while for others, it reenforces feelings of loneliness. However, we arrive at winter, we are all in the same situation. The short days grow longer in imperceptible increments. Some go to work in the dark, while others go home in it. Some do both. This lack of daylight has been recognized as a cause of the medical condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. Shakespeare likely hit the nail on the head not only for Richard III, but for us as well. It is a “winter of our discontent.” While I know of no statistics regarding the incidence of SAD among members of the legal profession, statistics that do exist in the areas of mental health are alarming. For that reason, I will continue to wear the green bracelet co-sponsored by the Bar Association and the Foundation to remind myself that, not only is my mental health important, the mental health of my colleagues is as important as my own. That bracelet, however, is only a symbol. It is equally important that the Erie County Bar Foundation take a more active role in the health of our profession. In these complicated times, it is vital that attorneys are at their best, not only for themselves and their client, but for our society as a whole. Being a partner with the Bar Association of Erie County to provide the Member Assistance Program (MAP) as a benefit for our fellow Bar Association members is the Foundation’s first step to proactively assist attorneys in need. I wish that the MAP had been my idea. I really do. However, the credit for this idea belongs to our tireless Executive Director, Anne Noble, who saw the opportunity, and the need, to provide assistance, long before I did. Significant credit also belongs to Hugh Russ and the Board of Directors of the Bar Association with whom we happily partner in this worthwhile program. The Foundation is pleased to underwrite the MAP to offer immediate confidential help to attorneys in need as well as their families.
MICHAEL F. PERLEY President Erie County Bar Foundation
The MAP is important to the Foundation as it allows attorneys and
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