MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawaii Access to Justice Commission and the Hawaii State Bar Association are sponsoring an Essay Contest for High School students to express their thoughts about “Meaningful Volunteering and What It Means to Me.”

The contest is being held to recognize exceptional volunteerism by Hawaii students and to encourage those students to share their volunteering experiences with others.

It is open to public and private high school students in grades 10 through 12. Submitted essays must be 500 words or less.

One essay from each of the islands of Kauai, Maui (including Lanai and Molokai), and the Big Island and three essays from the island of Oahu will be selected.

There will be a $500 award for each student selected.

The awardees will be recognized at a Pro Bono Celebration event at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24 the Hawaii Supreme Court Courtroom in Honolulu. The Pro Bono Celebration will also recognize outstanding volunteers selected by legal service providers in Hawaii.

A travel stipend for each of the honored students and his/her parent or guardian will be provided for students traveling from the neighbor islands.

The deadline for the entries is 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24.

Contest details will be distributed to all public and private high schools across the state. Information also is available at:

www.hsba.org/newsevents.aspx
www.hawaiipublicschools.org/ParentsAndStudents/Contests/Pages/Home.aspx?sctitle=*&scgrade=*&scdeadline=1%2f1%2f1900&

The Hawaii Access to Justice Commission was created in May 2008. The Commission’s primary purpose is to substantially increase access to justice in civil legal matters for low- and moderate-income residents of Hawaii.

The Hawaii State Bar Association is the unified bar association for all persons admitted to the practice of law in Hawaii, and serves to unite and inspire Hawaii lawyers to promote justice, serve the public, and improve the legal profession.

— Find out more:
www.hawaiijustice.org/hawaii-access-to-justice-commission
www.hsba.org/‎