Rutgers–Newark Law Students Mark Pro Bono Week with Community Engagement Activities, Career Learning Opportunities
NEWARK, NJ – Students at Rutgers School of Law–Newark are taking part in events marking Pro Bono Week, organized by the school’s Eric R. Neisser Public Interest Program as part of a nationwide celebration designated by the American Bar Association to recognize legal work done on behalf of the poor and the underserved.
“Many students come to Rutgers specifically because of our strong reputation for promoting a culture of public service,” said Clinical Professor Laura Cohen and Associate Director for Career Services Jessica Kitson, Co-Directors of the Neisser Program. “For Pro Bono Week, students have organized opportunities for providing service in the Newark community as well as for learning about public interest careers and issues.”
In addition to kicking off a month-long food, clothing and toy drive, activities include:
• Pro Bono Fair: Tuesday, October 26, 4:30 – 6 pm
Representatives from local public sector agencies and organizations, including: ACLU of New Jersey, American Friends Service Committee, CASA Essex County, Catholic Charities, City of Newark Department of Law, Community Health Law Project, Department of Homeland Security, Eastern Environmental Law Center, Essex-Newark legal Services, Essex County Family Justice Center, NJ Asian American Legal Project, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Office of the Public Defender, Partners for Women and Justice, ReLeSe, Rutgers Domestic Violence Advocacy Project, Rutgers Street Law Program, and Volunteer Lawyers for Justice.
• Community Engagement: Wednesday, October 27 – Saturday, October 30
-- Team Schools, NCA High School (10/27, 9 am – 1 pm): Help distribute and organize clothes donations
-- Boys and Girls Club, Kaboom Build Day (10/28, 9 am – 4 pm): Help build a playground
-- Covenant House (10/28, 1 – 2:30 pm): Teach teens and young adults about dating violence
-- Branch Brook Park Alliance (10/29, 2 – 6 pm): Help with Essex County’s largest children’s Halloween event
-- Team Schools, Team Academy (10/29, 9 am – noon): Help update growing middle school library
-- Apostle’s House Food Pantry (10/29, 8:30 am – 3 pm): Help unload food and organize servings
-- Newark YMCA (10/29, Noon – 5 pm): Tutor, provide office assistance, paint a room
-- Grass Roots/ Greater Newark Conservancy (10/29, Noon – 4 pm): Participate in paitning a mural that shows the spirit of a neighborhood
-- Passaic River Clean-up (10/30, 10 am – noon): Help clean up Riverbank Park
• Screening of William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, Wednesday, October 27, 4 pm
• Talk and Book Signing, Charles Olgetree, Author of The Presumption of Guilt: The Arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Race, Class and Crime in America, Thursday, October 28, 2:45 – 4 pm
• Eco-tour of the Passaic River, Friday, October 29, 2:45 – 5:15 pm
“Many students come to Rutgers specifically because of our strong reputation for promoting a culture of public service,” said Clinical Professor Laura Cohen and Associate Director for Career Services Jessica Kitson, Co-Directors of the Neisser Program. “For Pro Bono Week, students have organized opportunities for providing service in the Newark community as well as for learning about public interest careers and issues.”
In addition to kicking off a month-long food, clothing and toy drive, activities include:
• Pro Bono Fair: Tuesday, October 26, 4:30 – 6 pm
Representatives from local public sector agencies and organizations, including: ACLU of New Jersey, American Friends Service Committee, CASA Essex County, Catholic Charities, City of Newark Department of Law, Community Health Law Project, Department of Homeland Security, Eastern Environmental Law Center, Essex-Newark legal Services, Essex County Family Justice Center, NJ Asian American Legal Project, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Office of the Public Defender, Partners for Women and Justice, ReLeSe, Rutgers Domestic Violence Advocacy Project, Rutgers Street Law Program, and Volunteer Lawyers for Justice.
• Community Engagement: Wednesday, October 27 – Saturday, October 30
-- Team Schools, NCA High School (10/27, 9 am – 1 pm): Help distribute and organize clothes donations
-- Boys and Girls Club, Kaboom Build Day (10/28, 9 am – 4 pm): Help build a playground
-- Covenant House (10/28, 1 – 2:30 pm): Teach teens and young adults about dating violence
-- Branch Brook Park Alliance (10/29, 2 – 6 pm): Help with Essex County’s largest children’s Halloween event
-- Team Schools, Team Academy (10/29, 9 am – noon): Help update growing middle school library
-- Apostle’s House Food Pantry (10/29, 8:30 am – 3 pm): Help unload food and organize servings
-- Newark YMCA (10/29, Noon – 5 pm): Tutor, provide office assistance, paint a room
-- Grass Roots/ Greater Newark Conservancy (10/29, Noon – 4 pm): Participate in paitning a mural that shows the spirit of a neighborhood
-- Passaic River Clean-up (10/30, 10 am – noon): Help clean up Riverbank Park
• Screening of William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, Wednesday, October 27, 4 pm
• Talk and Book Signing, Charles Olgetree, Author of The Presumption of Guilt: The Arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Race, Class and Crime in America, Thursday, October 28, 2:45 – 4 pm
• Eco-tour of the Passaic River, Friday, October 29, 2:45 – 5:15 pm
Media Contact: Janet Donohue
973-353-5553
E-mail: jdonohue@andromeda.rutgers.edu