On Saturday, August 22, over 100 first and second-year law students volunteered their time through the third annual "Elon Law Reaches Out" community service day, supporting the work of numerous nonprofits across the region.
Begun in 2007, “Elon Law Reaches Out” has become one of the law school’s important traditions, introducing first-year students to nonprofit leaders in the region and to the values of leadership and service at the law school, while providing an opportunity to give back to the community through volunteer work in a wide range of settings.
First-year law student Melissa Apperson, an Elon University alumnus, welcomed the opportunity to continue the Elon tradition of servant-leadership. “This was a great opportunity for students to embrace leadership early on at the law school,” Apperson said. “It feels like ‘the Elon way’ to do things like this.”
Philip Clontz, also a first-year law student, worked with the Black Child Development Institute of Greensboro and saw the day as a way to get more involved with Greensboro. “Without service day, I would have never found this organization and been a part of the great work they do here,” Clontz said. “This was a way for me to become engaged in leadership in the Greensboro community.“
In addition to providing students with an opportunity to serve, “Elon Law Reaches Out” also provides local organizations with volunteer support. Rick Hollowell, board member and crew supervisor at Architectural Salvage of Greensboro, said: “It’s great to have help to get some long-awaited work done. A lot of this work usually takes much longer, but with Elon’s help we’re able to get it all done in one day.”
Jen Hoverstad, a second-year law student, organized this year’s service day and was proud of the work she and her classmates provided. “Service day upholds the Elon tradition by giving back to the Greensboro community,” Hoverstad said. “It’s important for new students to get to know the Greensboro area, familiarizing them with the law school and the resources surrounding it. Before you can lead, you have to serve, and this gives new students the right frame of mind to be servant-leaders, by contributing to and serving their communities.”
Elon University School of Law encourages student engagement and service as part if its overall program of study. The Class of 2009, for example, contributed over 21,000 hours of community service during their three years of law school.
Elon Law partnered with the following organizations this year for “Elon Law Reaches Out”:
– Adult Center for Enrichment
– Architectural Salvage of Greensboro
– Black Child Development Institute of Greensboro, Inc.
– Carolinas Chapter of Operation Smile
– Greensboro Urban Ministry
– Welfare Reform Liaison Project
By Tiffany N. Dyson, L’11
