Happy National Volunteer Week!

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Hi friend,
Happy National Volunteer Week! This week recognizes the profound impact of volunteer service and the remarkable ability of volunteers to advance social justice and empower under-served and marginalized communities. Since 2017, We The Action volunteers have donated almost 300,000 hours of legal services to build a more democratic and equitable world. (Pause for applause! 👏) While we celebrate volunteers all year, we wanted to take this opportunity to share three ways lawyers like you have recently made a difference (and how you can sign up to be a part of this work!).
1. Monitoring Legislative Sessions to Stop Anti-voting Bills
In 2023, 14 states enacted 17 restrictive voting laws that will be in effect for the 2024 general election. Furthermore, 25 states still have pending bills introduced last year that are currently under legislative consideration. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is working with 15 We The Action volunteers to monitor legislative sessions, track anti-voting bills and their likely impacts, and research state-based voter suppression.
Thank you to Aaron G., Debbie C., Emily D., Katherine M., Kayla A., Laura P., Matthew F., Michael M., Nicholas R., Rebecka M., Rita G., Ryan A., Sena K., Thomas C., and Tom S for doing this impactful work!

Do you want to be the first to hear about projects like this one? Join our 2024 democracy effort, the Voter Vanguard. In addition to supporting on-the-ground democracy and voting rights-oriented nonprofits, you’ll have the opportunity to join monthly events to hear from our phenomenal nonprofit partners, experts, and advocates in the field of democracy and voting rights.

JOIN THE VOTER VANGUARD ([link removed])
2. Representing Unaccompanied Children

Immigration judges are 100 times more likely to grant relief to unaccompanied children with legal representation than to those without it. Volunteers are working with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Safe Passage Project, and VECINA to ensure that no child appears in immigration court without high-quality legal representation.

By working with Safe Passage Project, Paula Schaap, a WTA volunteer since 2020, was able to quickly get up to speed and provide critical pro bono representation to children facing deportation. “It has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I have enjoyed working with mentors and other volunteers who believe that children should have legal representation in immigration court,” said Paula.

Thank you to Paula and all the We The Action volunteers who have helped get kids out of detention as quickly and efficiently as possible.

SIGN UP TO REPRESENT UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN ([link removed])
3. Improving the Lives of People Affected by Rare Disease

Earlier this year, we announced our partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to support their Rare As One Network, a collective of patient-led organizations driving research to improve the lives of people affected by rare diseases. A huge thank you to the 30 volunteers who have signed up to support this effort, ensuring compliance with clinical trial research regulations, negotiating contracts with pharmaceutical companies, and establishing governance structures for a collaborative network of nonprofit research partners.

“As a lawyer, I have seen how life-changing having access to legal help can be for people living with ALS and so many other diseases. Partnering with We The Action has been an invaluable experience for I AM ALS,” said Brian Wallach, founder of I AM ALS.

SIGN UP FOR A RARE AS ONE PROJECT ([link removed])

From all of us at We The Action, Happy National Volunteer Week and thank you for your commitment to volunteerism.

Katie Waldo (She/Her/Hers)
Managing Director of Volunteer Experience & Impact, We The Action

P.S. Join us for a virtual thank you event on Thursday, April 25. You’ll get a chance to meet the WTA Team, hear about the great work of fellow volunteers, and participate in a Q&A. We would love to see you there. Register for the event! >> ([link removed])
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