Bruce Rakay Challenges BU Law Community to Support PIP on Giving Day
As part of the University-wide single day of giving on April 3, Rakay (’73) has offered a dollar-for-dollar match for all donations up to $50,000.
When Bruce Rakay was a student at BU Law, he participated in a work-study program that funded a position with the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. The experience in the field was “invaluable,” he says, and shaped his career after graduation. The income he received was equally important. “That money covered my living expenses. Without it, it would have been very difficult to pay rent and eat.”
Rakay (’73) went on to spend nine years in the Office of the Attorney General of Ohio and has since transitioned to a second career in real estate development, but his experience in law school has stayed with him. That’s why he’s stepping up to support the Public Interest Program (PIP), and on April 3—BU Giving Day—he’s challenging the law school community to do the same.
The Bruce Rakay PIP Challenge will match, dollar for dollar, all gifts to PIP up to $50,000. One of BU Law’s oldest and most active student organizations, PIP advances a mission of supporting students’ commitment to nonprofit, government, and pro bono work. In addition to offering networking events and promoting public interest opportunities, the group’s summer grants constitute a critical source of support for students working in unpaid positions with public service institutions. The gift from Rakay will fund 10 such grants for the coming summer.
Rakay chose to give to PIP on Giving Day because the group represents the type of program that not only “made the law come alive” for him, but that “fed and clothed and housed” him when he was in law school. “Most people can’t do these internships for free. You need to have a way to support yourself,” he says. “I think back to my experience and, 45 years later, I remember instantly how valuable that was to me as a student.”
This isn’t Rakay’s first challenge to the BU Law community. In 2016, he urged young alumni to bolster the BU Law Fund, pitching in $10,000 of his own if 100 young alums would give to the school. The response was strong and the challenge successful. He has also issued challenges to raise funds for organizations supported by the Rakay Family Foundation.
“BU Law provided me with a scholarship and the means to gain experience and support myself in the US Attorney’s office,” Rakay says. “The school was very generous with me, and it enabled me to go to law school in the first place. Not everyone is born with a lot of money, and if you can get a little help along the way, you have the potential to do great things.”
“I am incredibly grateful to Mr. Rakay and our entire alumni community for stepping up to fund this critical need,” says Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig. “We want to ensure that BU Law students have the support they need to pursue careers in any field, but especially in underfunded public interest organizations. Gifts like Mr. Rakay’s will help us do just that.”
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