The Macomb County Bar Foundation, through the Kimberly Cahill Memorial Fund, recently conducted a reading initiative with students at Warren Cousino High School. Among those taking part in the program were (left to right) Angela D’Agostini-Miller, Cousino social worker; attorneys Donald DeNault, Annette Gattari-Ross, John DeMoss and Dana Warnez; Stephen Bigelow, principal; attorneys John Kennedy and Julie Gatti; and Paula Didato, media specialist.
By Melanie Deeds
Legal News
Kimberly Cahill, according to her family, was always a bookworm.
“Kim loved to read so much,” said Center Line attorney Dana Warnez of the sister who died two years ago shortly after completing a term as State Bar of Michigan president. “As an adult, she’d read comics as well as complicated law journals. She always had a book nearby. She’d read everything.”
To pay tribute to that devotion, Cahill’s family recently established a reading program involving Warren high school students that provides college scholarship prizes to the winners.
Cahill’s love of books started at a very early age, said Warnez.
“From the time Kim was little, mom said she would be looking around for Kim to finish up her chores and she’d find her hidden away in the bathroom reading,” said Warnez. “Other kids would be outside playing but Kim would be curled up with a book.”
Cahill died in January 2008, a life cut short at the age of 47 after a battle with cancer.
At the time, she was practicing law in Center Line with Warnez and their mother, Florence Schoenherr Warnez.
Prior to her serving as State Bar president — only the fourth woman to hold that distinction — Cahill headed the Macomb County Bar Association, the Macomb County Bar Foundation and the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan.
“Kim led every organization she joined,” according to Macomb County Circuit Court Juvenile Referee John Kennedy.
Kennedy was one of the attorneys who jumped at the chance to volunteer when Cahill’s family decided to add to the list of scholarship funds and other initiatives set up to honor her life.
The reading initiative has been taking place at Warren Cousino High School.
“Kim attended Cousino and was very committed to education,” said Kennedy.
Lawyer volunteers from the Macomb County Bar Foundation and Cousino educators partnered to create the program, according to Warnez.
The volunteers and students chose “A Time To Kill,” a novel by John Grisham about a Mississippi man who murdered two men who raped his daughter.
Kennedy said he and the other volunteers — Warnez, Warren Assistant City Attorney Annette Gattari-Ross and solo practitioners Julie Gatti, John DeMoss, Donald DeNault and Mark Pellecchia — were thrilled and honored to participate and he looked forward to continuing with the program.
“Kim was a great mentor,” said Kennedy. “This is a fun, worthwhile project and the discussions are quite interesting.”
Kennedy said the project was important because it was promoting legal education among young people.
“We tell kids they must be responsible and know the law, but we’re not teaching it as we should,” he said.
During March and April, the attorneys and students met once a week for six weeks at lunchtime, Warnez said.
While they ate, they discussed on how race, money, law enforcement and the jury affected the delivery of justice to the accused killer in Grisham’s story.
Students submitted essays at the end of the six-week period and the winners will be announced shortly.
Warnez said Paula Didato, Cousino media specialist, along with Angela D’Agostini-Miller, the school’s social worker and teacher Roxanne Garrish “have been instrumental in hammering out details of the program and generating student interest and participation with this new law-related education program.
“We are grateful for the support of Principal Stephen Bigelow as well in allowing a new initiative to take flight this school year,” she said.
Warnez said the volunteers “find this service to be rewarding to mentor youth in the community while remembering and honoring the example that Kimberly Cahill provided in her lifetime of service to our community.”
“She touched the lives of many, including the volunteers who are taking part in the reading project,” she said.
Warnez said herself, her mother, sister Pamela Cahill and attorney James Miller provided donations to establish a $500 first-place and $250 second-place scholarship.
Warnez said she hoped the reading program will be expanded and that volunteer and financial support would be forthcoming.
Donations can be made to the MCBF Kimberly M. Memorial Fund, c/o MCBA Office, 40 N. Main, Mt. Clemens, MI 48043
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