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The entirety of all donations will be allotted to help fund HOPE’s pro bono activities. Under the supervision of licensed attorneys, HOPE-affiliated law students volunteer their time and expertise to:

• File claims on behalf of elderly victims of Social Security fraud
• Recoup immigrant workers’ legally earned wages that have been stolen by unscrupulous employers
• Prepare court documents that help battered women escape the cycle of abuse
• Advocate in court on behalf of abused children
• …and many, many other activities that better the lives of South Florida’s most overlooked sectors

Through HOPE, law students even donate time to help with non-legal matters. We teach five-week financial literacy courses to children graduating from foster care; counsel juvenile offenders; teach basic law courses to middle- and high-school students; clean up pollution in Miami-Dade parks; and answer calls for sexual-abuse hotlines, among an array of additional activities. (To view the full spectrum of HOPE programs, visit http://law.miami.edu/hope/).

However, some projects—particularly those involving the courts—require significant resources aside from our time. Filing even the most mundane of documents often entails substantial court fees. Moreover, HOPE makes it a goal each year to fund Summer Fellowships, whereby HOPE funds are given as stipends to pay the summer rent and basic bills of students who forego paid work in a firm in favor of a pro bono placement. As such, students created RunningForHOPE to fill fundraising gaps that would otherwise amount in a greater proportion of people in need of access to justice being left out in the cold. Particularly in this time of economic downturn, without help from potential donors like yourself, it is inevitable that more people will fall through the cracks.

The formula for RunningForHOPE is simple. If we meet our goal, between 100 and 150 RunningForHOPE participants will line up on the Biscayne Boulevard starting line at dawn on January 30; of now, we have commitments from about 50 runners. Each runner has been instructed to seek one person or business (or, possibly, many persons or businesses) to serve as a sponsor/s. Sponsors can donate on a per-mile basis—e.g., $20 for every mile the runner completes—or pledge a lump sum for finishing the race. Most of us will run the 13-plus mile half marathon. Any donation—be it $100 per mile or $5 per mile—will be greatly appreciated, and will go a long way in furthering our mission.

Further, as a registered charity, we are afforded marketing opportunities that we can pass along to our sponsors. For example, individuals or organizations that sponsor many runners, or pledge a large amount to one runner, may be eligible to advertise via a banner along the race course. We are also willing to place any marketing or informational materials, within reason, that you choose to provide in each of the event bags given to RunningForHOPE participants. To be sure, your sponsorship of a RunningForHOPE volunteer, aside from an amazing way to give back to the community, is likely to be mutually beneficial. (To inquire further about marketing opportunities, please contact Run Co-Organizers Ashley Cooper and Andrea Lopez by email at ashley.leigh.cooper@gmail.com or alopez@law.miami.edu , or by cell phone at 305.431.0432).

For most of us, the Miami Marathon or Half Marathon will be our first competitive long-distance race. Finding time during the bustle of law school to train in the South Florida heat, without any marathon experience, will undoubtedly be difficult. But we are determined. If sponsors are willing to pledge hard-earned dollars for the betterment of South Florida, we are willing to run for those who depend on our services.

 When the last out-of-breath law student crosses the finish line on January 30, 2011, we hope to have raised thousands of dollars to fund HOPE causes. If you are at all interested in enabling us, through sponsorship, to serve that in need, please contact HOPE at your convenience.