Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia School of Law’s Equal Justice Foundation will host its 26th annual benefit auction April 1 at 8 p.m. at the Melting Point in downtown Athens.The evening will include both live and silent auctions. Proceeds from the event will go toward EJF summer fellowships, which help support Georgia Law students working in public interest positions for little or no pay. The event is free, and the public is invited to attend.
Items collected for this year’s auction include autographed band memorabilia from R.E.M and Widespread Panic; artwork such as paintings, photographic prints, handmade ceramics, pottery and jewelry; getaway packages for such locations as Jekyll Island and Lake Hartwell; gift certificates to a variety of local restaurants; and much more.
“This event is not only a fun way to spend a Friday night, but it also is a way for the Athens community to help support those trying to make a difference locally, nationally and internationally,” third-year law student and event co-chair Nathan P. Viebrock said.
Last year, proceeds from the auction allowed EJF to award 12 fellowships to Georgia Law students working in public interest positions for such organizations as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, the DeKalb County Child Advocacy Center, the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense, Advocates for Children of New York, the Latin American Association and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative – India.
Prior to the auction that evening, a kick-off celebration for the 6th Annual Working in the Public Interest Law Conference will get underway at 6:30 p.m., with a reception and a keynote address delivered by the Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s Steve Gottlieb. The WIPI conference will continue on Saturday at the School of Law with a series of panels and roundtable discussions.
For more information on the EJF Auction, see www.law.uga.edu/ejf. For more information on the WIPI Conference, see www.law.uga.edu/wipi.