Joseph M. Hanna, a partner at law firm Goldberg Segalla LLP, will receive the 2011 Community Service Award from the Defense Research Institute (DRI), the largest international membership organization of attorneys defending the interests of business and individuals in civil litigation. He will receive the award at an awards luncheon October 27, during DRI’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

The award recognizes Joe for his outstanding commitment to the public through his work as the founder and president of Bunkers in Baghdad, a nonprofit organization that collects and ships new and used golf equipment to U.S. soldiers. The donated equipment provides troops in combat zones abroad and in wounded warriors programs across the country with a much-needed recreational outlet as well as an enjoyable rehabilitation aid during recovery from injuries. In the three years since its inception, Bunkers in Baghdad has collected and shipped more than two million golf balls —averaging about 15,000 per week — and over 50,000 clubs to active military members and veterans in all 50 states and 11 countries.

Bunkers in Baghdad’s many efforts to support U.S. troops have also included setting up a driving range in Afghanistan; organizing an annual golf tournament with an auction of celebrity-autographed memorabilia; and creating the successful and rewarding Bunkers Buddies program, in which children from schools across the country hold equipment drives and send shipments accompanied by personal letters of appreciation to soldiers overseas, often to members of their own families or their classmates’ families.

Joe concentrates his legal practice in commercial litigation with a focus on sports and entertainment law, construction litigation and intellectual property law. He is the chair of Goldberg Segalla’s Diversity Task Force, and he currently serves as president of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, Inc.

With more than 22,000 members, DRI is recognized as a thought leader and an advocate for the defense bar at the national and state level, as well as in Europe. For more information, visit www.dri.org.