As we enter the holiday season and reflect upon the year’s journey, I am continuously inspired by each of you, the dedicated members who make our association a source of strength and camaraderie for Brevard County’s legal community. Together, our collective efforts, resilience, and professionalism have helped us thrive and serve both our clients and each other with distinction.

During my own reflections, I’ve realized how easily our own needs can be set aside when family, work, and life’s responsibilities demand our attention. This year, as I’ve helped support my mother and my aunt, while celebrating my grown children’s achievements, I’ve felt what many of you feel: the tension between caring for those we love and sustaining ourselves. Our association is rich in diversity, nurturing young families, others in the midst of raising children, and many, like me, caring for aging relatives or adults in our lives. We share the common experience of balancing these roles as we build our careers.

Because of this, I am making a vow to prioritize personal care and self-growth, and invite you to join me. Our paralegal careers are hard-won and meaningful; let’s not take our professional journeys for granted or allow them to languish when life becomes overwhelming. I challenge each of you to carve out time in your busy schedules—find just two hours a month to attend networking and education events designed for you. These moments will rejuvenate your spirit and remind you of your value both as a paralegal and as an individual.

Remember, we are more than spouses, parents, and caregivers: we are colleagues, professionals, and leaders. By caring for ourselves, we lift up our entire association and strengthen our benefits to members. Taking care of yourself is part of taking care of the association—when you thrive, we all thrive.

This past year, we welcomed new members, celebrated professional milestones, and innovated our programming. Thank you to all who have participated, volunteered, mentored, and attended, your enthusiasm and commitment are the foundation of our continued success. I am profoundly grateful for the warmth and acceptance I felt upon joining Brevard County five years ago. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your President.

Let us commit, together, to both personal and professional growth, and to shaping the future of our association through compassion, networking, and lifelong learning. I look forward to all we will achieve side by side.

Warm regards,

Donna D. Etter, CP

President, Brevard Paralegal Association