Sotomayor: Join the 2015 Yale Day of Service

“I make a daily practice of asking myself, ‘How have I helped someone today?’” says Yale alumna Sonia Sotomayor ’79 J.D., associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and the honorary chair of the 2015 Yale Day of Service, “This year I also ask, ‘How can we as a Yale family reach out and help others on Saturday, May 9?’”

Sotomayor recorded her thoughts about the Yale Day of Service in a video message that can be viewed above or online here: https://youtu.be/9Btc3XlX17g

She notes that the annual program, launched in 2009, “encourages Yale alumni, family, and friends to connect and find creative ways to serve their communities. And it is more than just a mere day of activity. This one special day is a catalyst for important ongoing voluntary service by Yale alumni groups throughout the year.”

Organized by volunteers through the Association of Yale Alumni, the Yale Day of Service is an opportunity to unite in community service at sites across the United States and around the world. Participants can register online for specific projects now. All alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of Yale are welcome to join the event.

In the new video, Sotomayor describes service to society as a “dynamic Yale tradition,” first inscribed in the university’s founding legislation from 1701, “that has been renewed by successive generations over more than three centuries.” She notes, “It is now our legacy to renew and carry forward.”

“Whoever we are, wherever we are, each of us has been guided and supported by many friends and family who have helped us realize our dreams,” Sotomayor says to her fellow alumni and friends of Yale. “Just as you and I have been aided on our journeys, so too should we seek to help others to rise up and reach their full potential. Like all Yale graduates, I carry with me those words spoken at every commencement that remind us that our degrees bring with them not just rights, but also responsibilities.”

More information can be found online at the Yale Day of Service website, http://yaledayofservice.org/, and via social media: @YaleDayofService on Twitter, on its Facebook page, and on Instagram.