March 26, 2010

Cooley Joins Effort to Help American Troops in Iraq

Thomas M. Cooley Law School joined forces recently with the Washtenaw County Bar Organization, the Oakland County Bar Association, Ford/UAW Retirees, and several other community groups in Operation IraqPac, a semi-annual drive that collects items requested by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Students, faculty and staff from Cooley’s Ann Arbor and Auburn Hills campuses collected non-perishable food items, clothing, personal care items, reading materials and more for our troops. Assistant Dean Dan Ray oversaw the project in Ann Arbor while Assistant Dean Martha Moore, in Auburn Hills, was the lead coordinator for that campus. Ray said the strength of the campus efforts was due largely to the efforts of student volunteers like Casey Walker.

"He really took the lead at Auburn Hills by working to get the word out and to get other groups like the Oakland County Bar Association involved," Ray said of Walker, who recently retired from the military. Ray said he also received tremendous help in Ann Arbor from student volunteer Dylan Jones, who assisted with donation pickups and other logistical details.

Walker and fellow student Eric Keebler spent nearly all day March 16 traveling around Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti collecting the donations from Washtenaw County Bar Association members and others in the community. On March 18, Walker, fellow students Rob Roberts, Jeremy Fisher, Lisa Konetchy and Jodie Quisenberry, and others volunteered hours of their time to organize, pack and label the boxes.

Roberts arranged to have the use of a large panel truck, donated by John David of Emergency Restoration Services, to move all of the donations from Washtenaw and Oakland counties to the Ford National Parts Distribution Center warehouse. Ford Motor Company donates the use of its warehouse to collect and prepare donations for shipping. Once the boxes of donations were ready to ship, Roberts helped to transport the boxed-up packages to the post office for shipping.

Iraq-Pac began in 2004 with care packages sent to the Marine brother of a Ford worker. From there it has grown into a multi-organization effort, coordinated by Ford/UAW Retiree Barbara Grasso, that has shipped more than 700 care packages weighing over 10 tons and valued in excess of $70,000 to U.S. Marines and Army troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shipping costs alone, all of which have been donated by volunteer Dayle Hoffecker, have totaled $23,000 over the years.

If you would like to participate in future Operation IraqPac collection drives, please contact Prof. Dan Ray at rayd@cooley.edu.

Cooley Joins Effort to Help American Troops in Iraq. Photograph by John Meiu, courtesy of Detroit Legal News Publishing.

Cooley Joins Effort to Help American Troops in Iraq. Photograph by John Meiu, courtesy of Detroit Legal News Publishing.

High-Res 300dpi Image © Thomas M. Cooley Law School 2010

Mike Schloff (left) of Michael D. Schloff PLLC, Oakland County Bar Association Veterans Committee president and retired Marine captain; and Barb Grasso (right), a Ford/UAW retiree and coordinator of Operation Iraq Pac. Photo by John Meiu, courtesy of Detroit Legal News Publishing L.L.C.
Mike Schloff (left) of Michael D. Schloff PLLC, Oakland County Bar Association Veterans Committee president and retired Marine captain; and Barb Grasso (right), a Ford/UAW retiree and coordinator of Operation Iraq Pac. Photo by John Meiu, courtesy of Detroit Legal News Publishing L.L.C.

High-Res 300dpi Image © Thomas M. Cooley Law School 2010

Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the nation.  Founded in 1972, the private, non-profit law school operates J.D. programs across Michigan in Lansing, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor.  Today, Cooley Law School has nearly 14,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and master of laws programs.  Cooley offers enrollment three times a year; in January, May and September.