Law School Holds Annual In My Back Yard Day of Public Service


Incoming Students, Faculty, and Staff to Volunteer at 10 DMV Area Non-Profits Aug. 15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IMBY2016
 

WASHINGTON, DC, Aug. 8, 2017 – American University Washington College of Law is holding its annual In My Back Yard (IMBY) day of service devoted to getting involved with public service in the local Washington, D.C. neighborhoods. IMBY is sponsored by the law school and organized each year by the Office of Public Interest and the Public Interest/Public Service (PIPS) Scholars.

The event takes place Tuesday, Aug. 15, and features more than 200 students, faculty, and staff volunteering their services at a number of city organizations and non-profit groups. Participating organizations include Anacostia Watershed, where students will participate in a “wetland workday” to help clean up Kingman Marsh, and A Wider Circle, where volunteers will assist with the organization’s Neighbor to Neighbor program, providing basic needs to community members struggling with poverty.

“IMBY is a unique day of service where faculty, staff, and returning and incoming students come together to serve their community,” said IMBY student organizer Courtney Knippen ‘19. “It is a reflection of AUWCL's commitment to public service and societal engagement, and an opportunity to connect directly with our local community in a positive way.”

For first-year law students, IMBY is an exciting way to kick off orientation week, get out and see the city while serving the community, and meet new classmates in a relaxed environment. For third and second-year students, faculty, and staff, IMBY is a chance to reconnect with the community before the fall semester begins and to welcome incoming students into the spirit of public service.

Participants will meet on campus in the morning for registration and a quick orientation, and head to the individual locations where they’ll lend a hand with stocking soup kitchens, landscaping public parks, and staffing homeless shelters.

Below is a list of locations where volunteers will be helping out:

  • A Wider Circle (Silver Spring, MD)
  • Anacostia Watershed (SE DC)
  • Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (NE DC)
  • Carpenter’s Shelter (Alexandria, VA)
  • Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Alexandria, VA)
  • So Others Might Eat (SOME) (NoMa-Gallaudet)
  • National Center for Children & Families (Columbia Heights)
  • Manna Food Center (Gaithersburg, MD)
  • Little Falls Watershed Alliance
  • Free Minds Book Club (NW DC)

For more information, go to wcl.american.edu/publicinterest/imby.cfm.

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About American University Washington College of Law
In 1896, American University Washington College of Law became the first law school in the country founded by women. More than 100 years since its founding, this law school community is grounded in the values of equality, diversity, and intellectual rigor. The law school's nationally and internationally recognized programs (in clinical legal education, trial advocacy, international law, and intellectual property to name a few) and dedicated faculty provide its JD, LL.M., and SJD students with the critical skills and values to have an immediate impact as students and as graduates, in Washington, D.C. and around the world. For more information, visit wcl.american.edu.

 

CONTACT: Franki Fitterer
Director, Public Relations
Washington College of Law
office: (202) 274-4279
cell: (202) 321-6183
email: ffitterer@wcl.american.edu