Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Widener Law Students Give BCCS A Reason to Be Thankful

“BCCS has been making a significant impact on our community for over 25 years - we wanted to help their outreach this Holiday Season”

WILMINGTON, DE - Sara Alsaleh, a Widener Law student, and her classmates, members of her newly-formed Food and Drug Law Association, wanted to give back to the Wilmington community. “We wanted to make a difference, we wanted to do something for the neighborhood,” said Sara. The third year, part-time student saw a perfect opportunity through a personal contact: Sara and her classmates decided to help Brandywine Counseling & Community Services, Inc., a community organization providing holistic care to persons affected by substance abuse, mental health and HIV-related challenges.

“BCCS reaches so many people,” said Sara. “We thought it was best to support their efforts. They really make an impact.” As a service to its clients, Brandywine Counseling will give out over 200 Thanksgiving baskets to those in need on Monday, November 22. For their part, Sara and the members of the FDLA organized a raffle, open to the Widener Law community, and solicited donations from local businesses such as the Olive Garden and T.G.I. Friday’s. They were able to raise over $600. On the day the Thanksgiving baskets are handed out, the Widener Law students will assist BCCS staff in the distribution of the charitable gifts.

However, the volunteer efforts of Sara and her classmates don’t end at the pre-Thanksgiving event. Widener Law School is one of many partners in BCCS’s Giving Tree. In its second year, the Christmastime charity receives gifts from partner organization patrons and makes it available to BCCS clients who are unable to provide gifts for their children. Sara Alsaleh, in her service to Brandywine Counseling, will collect all of the donated gifts from Widener Law and bring them to BCCS in mid-December. The gifts, intended for boys and girls of different ages, will be available to BCCS clients, already in the process of recovering from an illness and starting a new life, a few days before Christmas.

For more information, please contact: Basha Silverman, Prevention Director, at 302-655-9880 x123, or Sara Alsaleh at 570-262-7156.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What a great idea for Widener Law students to get involved! It is essential for students to understand how important it is to support organizations like BCCS - you do such amazing work.