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PBSCI October Donate A Day

By DePaul University College of Law / November 4, 2015 / Posted in: Pro Bono & Community Service / Twitter / Facebook

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As a way to celebrate Pro Bono Week, the Pro Bono and Community Service Initiative (PBCSI) held its annual October Donate-A-Day on Friday, October 30, 2015. For the fifth year running, PBCSI and The Center for Disability and Elder Law (CDEL) paired up to offer a great day of pro bono service for the DePaul community. Alumni also came back to DePaul to participate in this event alongside current students. The Donate-A-Day focused on assisting low-income seniors with advanced directives, such as living wills and powers of attorney for health care and property. The day started with an in-depth training on drafting powers of attorney for property and health care and preparing living will declarations in Illinois. Tom Wendt, CDEL’s Legal Director, conducted the training.

After completing the training, the volunteers headed north to the Center on Addison for the workshop with the seniors. Working in pairs, volunteers were given the opportunity to work directly with clients, conducting interviews and drafting the legal paperwork for the seniors. The volunteers met with and assisted over 20 seniors. DePaul Student Kristyn Bowser, had a very positive experience: "It felt good to do something so important for older people in need, and use the skills I am learning in law school practically at the same time. Further, you could tell that the clients really appreciated our time.” Many other volunteers shared this feeling and found the whole day very rewarding. The alumni attorneys also noted that they found the pro bono day both educational and enjoyable. Additionally, it was a great opportunity for current students to meet alumni and hear the great work that DePaul graduates are doing in the Chicago area. In the end, the seniors received important legal assistance and the volunteers gained valuable legal experience and exposure to public interest and pro bono legal work.​​​