Annual Foley Event Celebrates Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Military-Connected Youth

This July, Foley & Lardner proudly celebrated the 5th anniversary of its partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). Foley, the first and only law firm to partner with BGCA on a national scale, supports BGCA’s national youth leadership development strategy through programs that equip youth to lead and make meaningful contributions in their communities.

As part of our partnership, Foley’s Veterans & Allies Affinity Group was honored to once again participate in BGCA’s prestigious National Military Youth of the Year (MYOY) program. It recognizes military-connected youth, ages 14 to 18, for their dedication to community service, academic achievement, strong character, leadership, and commitment to future goals. At this year’s gala, held on August 6, Jonathan won 2026-27 National Military Youth of the Year alongside the other finalists Fatimazahra, Patrick, Kate, and Ethan.

For the fourth year in a row, the evening before the gala featured a vibrant networking event in Foley’s Washington, D.C. office that brought together the five regional MYOY 2025-26 finalists and 50 attendees, including BGCA staff, military personnel, and Foley employees.

Due to popular demand, the 2026 gathering once again included a unique career exploration opportunity for the finalists and past winners to have expanded speed mentoring sessions with Foley Veterans & Allies Affinity Group members Patrick McMahon (chair), Frank Murray, Taylor Pancake (senior chair), Robb Wade, Nick Wainwright, Alex Witz, and Jay Yoon.

Office managing partner David Sanders and partner Patrick McMahon addressed attendees during the event, with McMahon closing it out by expressing Foley’s pride in our partnership with BGCA and noting that “bringing together veterans from across our firm to connect with these outstanding military youth is truly the highlight of the year for our Veterans Affinity Group.”

The evening also featured presentations from the regional MYOY finalists and alumni, alongside several representatives from BGCA.

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