<p>National Pro-Bono week will kick off on October 23 on the Widener Law Commonwealth campus.</p>
<p>The law school&rsquo;s Public Interest Law Society has a full week of activities planned to bring awareness to the importance of providing legal aid to the communities we live in.</p>
<p><a href="{staticroot}current-students/student-organizations/interest-organizations/#public">The Public Interest Law Society</a> at Widener Law Commonwealth is a student group on campus that aims to bridge the gap between law students and those seeking legal advice or advocacy in the community.&nbsp; The group hosts events on campus such as <a href="http://www.willsforheroes.org/">Wills for Heroes</a>, expungement clinics and other services connecting people who may not be able to afford legal services with legal advice and services.</p>
<p>&ldquo;National Pro Bono week brings awareness to the need for services in the community,&rdquo; Cheri Sparacino, president of PILS, said. &ldquo;You are not just helping people when you provide services and support - you are also applying the skills you have learned as a law student.&rdquo;</p>
<p>A lunch and learn presentation by Widener Commonwealth student La Tasha Williams and Giovanni Reid titled The School to Prison Pipeline: How You Can Make a Difference is also planned for the week.&nbsp; Reid served 26 years in state prison after being sentenced to life in prison as a juvenile.&nbsp; After meeting in a criminal justice course, Williams began advocating on Giovanni's behalf after he lost his appeal.&nbsp; Reid was recently released as a result of the Supreme Court's decision that life sentences for juveniles is unconstitutional.&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.probono.net/celebrateprobono/">National Pro-Bono Week</a> is held each October, and this year the list of events includes a bake sale to raise money for the <a href="http://www.ywcahbg.org/">Harrisburg YWCA</a>, a lecture from the <a href="http://www.cor.pa.gov/Pages/Secretary-BIO-page.aspx">Sec. John Wetzel of the PA Department of Corrections</a> about criminal justice reform, and a donation drive for the Bethesda Mission.</p>
<p>Additional law school organizations participating in National Pro Bono Week include the Black Law Students Association and Women&rsquo;s Law Caucus.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We encourage all of our student organizations to embrace pro bono work and to give back to the community not just during the national observance, but throughout the entire year,&rdquo; said Mary Catherine Scott, director of Student Organizations and interim director of the <a href="ipl://263//W10=">Central Pennsylvania Law Clinics</a>. &ldquo;Participating in pro bono activities allows students to use their skills and fill a vital need in the community.&rdquo;</p>
<p><a href="ipl://1//W10=">Click here to see a full list of events.</a></p>