For Karen Shaff, LW'79, and Steven Jayne, LW’78, philanthropy is driven by a desire to ensure that legal services are available to underserved communities.
"We benefited from our Drake legal education many ways, including being positioned to give back, and we encourage others to help those in need of legal services throughout our communities," Karen said.
Karen and Steven previously established the Karen Shaff and Steven Jayne Law Scholarship at the Drake Law School for students with financial need who are interested in serving underrepresented populations after graduation.
Recently, they made a leadership-level gift to support the Drake Refugee Legal Clinic. The Refugee Clinic provides students with the opportunity to engage in direct client representation on behalf of individuals who are applying for asylum in the United States and other forms of humanitarian relief.
"For students, the clinic will offer an incredible opportunity to learn some important skills while helping people in need, and it will instill in the students an understanding of the benefits of giving back to their community, whether they practice in public service or work on a pro bono basis," Karen said. "For their clients, my hope would be that those who come to the U.S. as refugees get assistance so they don’t have to go to bed every night full of uncertainty."
