Nearly 350 incoming first-year Miami Law students and their upper-division site leaders spent the morning learning about the importance of service and pro bono and making a difference at agencies across Miami-Dade County. HOPE Day of Service is a longstanding tradition held during orientation at Miami Law that provides an opportunity for incoming 1Ls to get to know each other, the law school, and the Miami-Dade community.
Law students surged into the community to provide service to local agencies including Camillus House, the Miami Diaper Bank, Chapman Partnership, The Caring Place: Miami Rescue Mission, Fisher House, Ronald McDonald House, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, Lotus House, and the WOW Center. The Miami Law volunteers connected with peers and engaged in projects to support the mission of each agency, which included providing essential services to families, unhoused individuals and others in need.
“It is so fulfilling to have the students join us for HOPE Day of Service after months of planning,” said Sharon Booth, associate director of programs at the HOPE Public Interest Resource Center.
“We know that it is a memorable part of their start at Miami Law, and we always look forward to connecting them to their new colleagues and the community.”
3L Estefania Hernandez served as the site leader for The Caring Place: Miami Rescue Mission, an agency dedicated to transforming the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness through programs offering food, shelter, education and medical care. "Volunteering at The Caring Place was a truly rewarding experience,” said Hernandez. “The incredible hospitality from the staff made the start of the school year feel both wholesome and life-giving. I’m excited to continue partnering with The Caring Place this semester through food and clothing drives to support their unhoused community members."
3L Christina Velazquez served as the site leader for the Miami Diaper Bank, a non-profit agency that supports low-income families and babies with diaper needs throughout South Florida. “We bundled diaper packs and packed orders for the agency’s local partners and pop-up distribution sites,” said Velazquez. “Representatives from the Miami Diaper Bank told us that we served 289 children with the work we completed. They’re an amazing local organization and encouraged us to engage in their legislative advocacy around diaper access in Florida. I plan to find ways to partner with them again this year.”
Due to an extreme heat advisory, students assigned to outdoor community service projects remained on campus for alternative HOPE Day programming. Those who stayed on campus had a special opportunity for engagement with their upper-division site leaders and had an early introduction to some of the most dynamic and dedicated experiential faculty on campus.
2L Site Leader Aaron Rissman was originally scheduled to lead an outdoor site, so he served as a room captain on campus instead. “Even though the weather forced us to change our plans, HOPE Day of Service was still a great experience,” Aaron said. “HOPE's back-up plan of student panels and faculty speakers emphasized the importance of public interest lawyering and illustrated the benefits of public interest work to legal education. These sessions provided 1Ls with a unique perspective from other Orientation programming. I really enjoyed meeting so many of the 1Ls, answering their questions, and sharing my experiences.”
“Through HOPE Day, our students learn how integral the ethic of service is at Miami Law,” said Dean Lennon. “This education is a privilege and with that privilege comes an opportunity and obligation to give back through community service, leadership and pro bono. The good news is that, through service, not only are our students’ helping others, but they are developing transferrable skills and growing as leaders while becoming a part of the greater Miami community.”
Read more about HOPE Public Interest Resource Center.
Read more about Miami Law’s Social Justice and Public Interest program.
