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Judicial Q&A: Judge Greg Blackwell Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
WHERE TO VOLUNTEER:
• Afghan Refugee Pro Bono Project – Catholic Charities is looking for attorneys to help our new neighbors apply for asylum so they can attain lawful permanent resident status to remain in the United States. Contact Kojo AsamoaCaesar at kasamoa-caesar@cceok.org. No prior immigration law experience required and training and mentorship provided. • TCBA Pro Bono List – The LRS line often receives calls from people needing low or pro bono assistance and TCBA began keeping a list of attorneys willing to assist individuals of certain demographics (veterans, senior citizens, the disabled, grandparents raising grandkids) in various legal areas (family law, estate planning, criminal, landlord tenant issues and small claims court) at the onset of the pandemic. If you are willing to take one or more pro bono cases screened by the TCBA LRS Coordinator please contact Jeril Haug at 918-587-6014.
WHY YOU SHOULD VOLUNTEER:
• Volunteers gain professional experience and training.
• It strengthens your community. A recent report by the National Conference on Citizenship found that “participation in civil society can develop habits that make individuals employable and strengthen the networks that help them find jobs.” • It’s good for your health. Its been said that doing good for someone else interrupts tensionproducing patterns in the brain and replaces them with a sense of purpose, positive emotion and higher confidence levels, and that people who volunteer feel a greater sense of satisfaction with their lives and consider their health generally better than those who don’t. • It improves your employability. Recruiters rank volunteer participation higher than personal presentation when looking at prospective candidates. • You make meaningful connections. Volunteering lets you meet people from all walks of life. It gives you the chance to form relationships that can have a lasting impact on you. • You will gain perspective. Coming in contact with people from different backgrounds and learning about perspectives different to your own can be a profound and growing experience.
