In 2009, Richard VanRheenen felt a moral tugging within himself. “I decided that I needed to be more intentional about pro bono legal work,” he says, “which I had not really given much attention to before.” Richard spent his days representing business and industry on environmental aspects of real estate transactions, litigation, and regulatory matters. This type of litigation includes lawsuits over who will pay how much of an environmental cleanup. He always knew this was the kind of legal work he wanted to practice. “I was drawn to the combination of law and science,” he tells me.

The human brain is hardwired for generosity. Neuroscience reveals that our mesolimbic system actually lights up when we give. This is the system that forms a key part of the brain’s pleasure circuits and produces dopamine, which makes us feel good. In fact, the act of giving activates this region of the brain even more than receiving. It turns out the old philanthropic adage, “It is better to give than to receive,” is backed by science.

This June, we focused on how we are engaging with and empowering our community. We highlighted educational opportunities for our neighbors to ask questions and learn more from our attorneys; we hosted a series of Virtual Trivia Nights as a fun way to support pro bono legal services for marginalized people; and we shared important messages and updates for our followers on community resources.

Today, we stand arm-in-arm with those who are pursuing justice following the heartbreaking losses of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and far too many other people of color who, generation after generation, have lost their lives to racism, marginalization, bigotry, and injustice. The tragic loss of their lives and the ongoing lack of liberty and equality for people of color are painful reminders that we must do more to achieve justice for all. We are all God’s children and black lives matter.

Makenzie Winger was spending Valentine’s Day 2019 with her then fiancé when she received an email from her department head at Taylor University. The email described something called a Justice Fellowship at a nonprofit legal organization in Indianapolis. “I stopped everything we were doing to read my fiancé the job description,” Makenzie recalls. “It was an opportunity to continue to learn more about justice issues, to step into the legal field for the first time, and to do work that felt meaningful. I also wouldn’t have to worry about finding housing. It just sounded like the perfect job for this phase of my life.”

Several times a day I find myself saying, “We’ve all made mistakes; it just looks a little different from one person to another and doesn’t always become public knowledge.” So many people are burdened by poor decisions from years ago, decisions often driven by addiction, poor examples, generational poverty, or being “young and dumb.” They enter the doors for our Expungement Help Desk in the basement of the City County Building expecting to be judged yet again, to be told they don’t qualify for expungement, or to be told that, if they do, it’s going to be costly to make it happen. It is such a joy to dispel the misconception that getting an expungement is too good to be true. Oftentimes, I even get to help these visitors make the “second chance” espoused by the statute become a reality. That reality means a better job, housing in a safer neighborhood, professional certification, going on a field trip with their children, and so much more.