September 30, 2006

Cooley Hurricane Relief Efforts Honored

(from left) Dean Paul Zelenski and Student Organizer Rick Frank holding a plaque of appreciaton for the school.

Grateful Cooley students from the U.S. Gulf Coast presented Cooley Law School with a plaque of appreciation for the help they received in recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Immediately after the devastating hurricane in September 2005, relief efforts mobilized at the law school to help the students get back on their feet.

“It was actually an easy project in some ways because people were so willing to step in and help out, donate money, come up with ideas, or whatever we needed,” said student organizer Rick Frank. “It was incredible how so many students, professors, and staff came together so quick and did whatever it took to get to our goal and help out our own students who very much needed it.  It's something I'll never forget.”

Cooley students, staff, and faculty raised more than $25,000, which was the largest amount raised in the 6th district and among the highest among law schools in the country.
Enthusiasm was the hallmark of the drive. Donation tables, faculty initiatives, contributions from individual student organization events, a benefit concert and raffle, raised $18,500.

Donation tables greeted law school seniors and their families as they arrived for graduation that term. The tables reappeared indoors — with pizza — for the rest of the five-day drive. Some professors sold $10 passes to get out of class recitation. In one class, the enterprising professor made over $700 for the fund. “We were ruthless,” Frank said with a grin.

Cooley President Don LeDuc said the school would donate additional funds to bring Operation Hurricane Hope up to its original goal of $25,000.When the drive was completed, 80 percent of the donations were distributed directly to affected students who’d filled out an application, and the remaining 20 percent was donated to two local charities helping with the overall hurricane recovery effort.

The relief effort pulled together resources from throughout the Cooley community and demonstrated firsthand the law school’s well-stated and visible commitment to service.

Noted Paul Zelenski, Associate Dean of Enrollment and Student Services, “At its core, the Cooley Hurricane Operation Hope initiative is another indication of how much all members of the community care about their fellow citizens. The student organization responsible for raising the money must be commended for organizing quickly and mobilizing so many people to achieve such outstanding results.  I am confident as they continue to train to become lawyers they will reflect on this endeavor as a time when their selfless actions and leadership made a difference. We are very proud of them as well as all contributors.”

Founded in 1972, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country. Cooley has three campuses across Michigan in downtown Lansing, downtown Grand Rapids in west Michigan, and at Rochester/Oakland University in southeast Michigan. In addition to the juris doctor program, students at Cooley can also pursue an LL.M. in Tax or Intellectual Property. Find out more about Cooley Law School by visiting the Cooley Web site at www.cooley.edu.