Hofstra Law student Landon Dais 3L, a Pro Bono Scholar who works at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, on April 18, 2015, organized #HarlemServiceDay — a community cleanup and voter registration drive. Many community leaders and organizations, among them Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, participated in the day of service.
Dais, who has been organizing cleanups for the past five years, assigned dozens of cheerful volunteers to sweep streets, pick up trash and register voters.
“I want to get more people engaged in the community and the electoral process,” Dais told Opportunity Lives. “People come out and make a good time out of the event. We want to make our community better, plus it’s a positive physical activity. I really want younger people to participate so older people see that high school kids are positive contributors to the community.”
Dais is an active member of his community and serves as a board member of the Harlem Congregation for Community Improvement. He also ran for New York City Council in 2009 and has managed or consulted for many campaigns.
At Hofstra Law, Dais has been committed to pro bono efforts throughout his law school career. He will become an associate at Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo & Terrana, LLP, but he intends to continue his pro bono work at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem. His goal is to make the Harlem community better through community, political and legal engagement. In the long run, Dais would like to improve the political representation in his beloved community, state and country.
“I attended Hofstra Law so that I can continue to grow my New York network while obtaining a high-quality legal education,” said Dais. “Dean Eric Lane has been instrumental in mentoring me in the New York political law and process.”
Dais and Harlem Service Day were featured in Opportunity Lives.