Washington and Lee University
Local community organizations throughout Lexington and Rockbridge County received a helpful boost when law students took part in the Student Bar Association’s (SBA) Service Day during orientation this year.
“The last time we did this was in 2005 or 2006,” said SBA President Negin Farahmand ’12L. “It used to be an annual event, and so we’re trying to bring it back.”
It’s aimed mostly at incoming students, including first-years and transfer students. Farahmand said that about 20 current law students also took part as site leaders. “We worked with 15 local organizations, from the Rockbridge Area YMCA to the Rockbridge Free Clinic and Fine Arts in Rockbridge,” she said.
The students took part in a variety of projects, from yard work and picking up brush, to organizing files and doing paperwork. “It was any work that the individual organization needed to get done but doesn’t necessarily have the time to do,” explained Farahmand.
“As law students we get really wrapped up in what we’re doing and we’re very busy. I thought the SBA Service Day would be rewarding for the students and a good way to give back and show that we’re part of the community—that we don’t just go to school here. With more than 70 student volunteers, I think it had a big impact in just one day.”