Temple Law faculty and students can now sign up for one of three law school-sponsored service opportunities on Monday, January 18th, the Martin Luther King Day of Service. Both day and evening classes have been cancelled to ensure that all law faculty and students can participate in the day’s events. Members of the Temple Law community may also bring family members, subject to the limits and conditions set by each site.
Dean JoAnne Epps expressed her hope that every member of the Temple Law community would find a way to participate. “This is a day when citizens in Philadelphia and across the nation are celebrating Dr. King’s memory and participating in community service projects,” Dean Epps remarked. “Temple Law School should be a leader in that effort – not only because service is a fundamental value in the legal profession, but also to continue Temple Law’s proud tradition of community engagement and leadership.”
There are three service opportunities available to Temple Law students and faculty. Each is described below. To register, please visit http://bit.ly/TLawMLK2016. For more information, please contact the Director of Public Interest Programs, Lisa Hurlbutt, at lisa.hurlbutt@temple.edu.
Jane Addams Place, Lutheran Settlement House: 10AM-1PM, 25 S. 43rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (43rd and Ludlow, between Market and Chestnut – accessible from campus via the Broad Street Subway Line to Market Frankford Line, 46th Street Station stop). 25 volunteers needed. Jane Addams Place is a comprehensive emergency homeless shelter in Philadelphia for up to 29 mothers with children. For more information, take a look at the website. This will be a hands-on service day beautifying the Jane Addams space with projects including painting and clean-up. Please wear clothing you don’t mind getting paint on. Lunch will be provided. Children 12 and up are welcome but must be registered separately. SPIN Points: 1 Point Per Hour.
VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Training: 10AM-4PM in Klein Room K2B. Professor Alice Abreu leads this annual training to the Temple law community for the federal VITA program (http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/IRS-Tax-Volunteers). Participants are prepared and certified to assist low-income taxpayers in filing their annual income tax return. Once certified, participants can volunteer this tax season at any VITA site, including at the Sheller Center for Social Justice here on campus. This is an essential service that helps low-income taxpayers to obtain often substantial refunds without reduction by preparer fees and exposure to predatory or unlawful practices. Volunteers safeguard a key social safety net that helps to keep people out of poverty. Volunteer sign-up information provided during the training. Participants should bring a laptop, preferably not a Mac. Lunch provided. Those who attend this training on a volunteer basis (not as part of a course requirement) who also go on to volunteer with the VITA program can claim the allotted SPIN points for the training (1 point per hour), plus half a SPIN point for every hour volunteered.
City Year: A Day of Service at Mary McLeod Bethune School: 8:15 AM-2:00 PM, Bethune Pre K-8 School, 3301 Old York Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19140 (near intersection of Germantown Avenue, West Westmoreland Street, and Old York Road, accessible via the Broad Street Line, Allegheny stop). 12-25 volunteers needed. With City Year’s classroom support and extended day programming, Bethune strives to create a safe and high performance environment. Volunteers will help to create a more colorful, inspiring, and harmonious space for Bethune’s 700 students through painted murals and small building projects. Lunch will be provided. Please wear clothing you don’t mind getting paint on. SPIN Points: 1 Point Per Hour.