History of the Foundation

The birth of the Martinet Foundation represents the culmination of the aspirations and efforts of many of the African-American attorneys in the city of Baton Rouge.  One of the  the goals of the Martinet Foundation was making the local African-American bench and bar association a true force within the non-profit community in Baton Rouge with the resources to assist attorneys by providing a more formal structure for community service activities, particularly in the areas of mentoring and pro bono service. Although African-American attorneys have traditionally provided a great deal of community service, there has been little recognition for such service partly because of the lack of structure associated with the provision of those services.

On April 28, 1998, with the formal filing with the Louisiana Secretary of State, the Martinet Foundation was born. Former President, Mr. Preston Castille appointed previous Martinet President, Shelton Dennis Blunt to head the efforts of the Foundation.  Mr. Blunt was charged with establishing a Board of Directors and providing a structure for existing Martinet community services projects. Mr. Blunt selected the first Board of Directors from the Martinet Society members with the goal of assembling a talented group of attorneys with varied backgrounds.  One of the original Board members, James A. Wayne, Sr., provided invaluable service as the executive director of a non-profit corporation with experience in the areas of providing pro bono service and grant writing.

Additionally, the initial Board included three previous presidents of the Martinet Society and two attorneys with expertise in the area of tax law.

With a strong nucleus of committed Board Members and with direction provided by the Martinet Society through its president, the Martinet Foundation has participated in several major projects since its formation. Such projects have included a successful voter registration drive, assistance to the St. Vincent DePaul School Uniform Drive, Marshall-Brennen Project and a strong partnership with its adopted school, North Highland Elementary School. Judge Trudy White, 19th Judicial District Court, was selected as the first Executive Director of the Martinet Foundation. Additionally, Judge White played an important role in selecting the first Martinet Mentor Program Director, Patrick M. Dobard.