Page 10 - Briefcase Volume 37 Number 2

COMMUNITY

SERVICE

PROJECTS

UH Law Center 1Ls spent the day volunteering at the Houston Food Bank.

LEGAL CAREERS LAUNCHED WITH COMMUNITY SERVICE

Before completing their first week of classes, first-year students at the Gardens in Hermann Park and Beauty’s Community Garden in
University of Houston Law Center fanned out across the city to help Independence Heights. Students assisted in mulching, raking, weeding
those in need and form friendships with new classmates by volunteering and preparing beds for planting.
for a wide range of community service projects. As in previous years, students also assisted at the Houston Food Bank
Dean Leonard M. Baynes initiated the program at the start of his tenure where they prepared food packages for distribution to the needy.
in 2014 as a means of instilling a sense of public service in the aspiring
lawyers. The program, which includes faculty and administrators, has
grown from a single day to several days in August with projects ranging
from legal aid to parks beautification.
“Each service project provides the students with an opportunity to
learn something about the community and its needs,” said Baynes. “It is
evident from each project that there is a critical need for access to justice
by members of our community.”
This year, students gained first-hand legal experience assisting Houston
Volunteer Lawyers as they provided advice to veterans and their spouses
at the Debakey VA Medical Center and later to people in need of help
at the Trini Mendenhall Community Center. Students also volunteered
at a naturalization workshop at the Hiram Clarke Multiservice Center
where they helped immigrants fill out applications.
Those looking to be outdoors volunteered at the McGovern Centennial

10 Briefcase 2019