RALEIGH, N.C. -- Five months ago, a law firm hired an administrative assistant. This week, that led to the law firm donating $15,000 to the Raleigh Rescue Mission.  

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Attorney Beth Leone's law firm received more than 100 applications for an assistant, but candidate Sarah James caught Leone's attention.

Although Sarah did not have a lot of office experience, she had determination and showed pride in what she had to offer.

"I asked her where she got such great interviewing skills and she told me about the 'Today's Office Program' offered by the Raleigh Rescue Mission," Leone said. "I was so impressed with how well they had prepared Sarah for her interview that I called the mission and spoke with the instructor to learn more about the program."

In the next few weeks, Leone toured the mission. She learned about the organization's workforce training programs. After the tour, Leone and her partners felt that they wanted to do more to with the organization, which is why they donated $15,000.

"We decided that a donation in Sarah's honor, of sorts, would recognize her achievements and give other people an opportunity that they might not have otherwise," said Leone's partner, Jennifer Seate.

James has been with the law firm for five months and handles several administrative and secretarial functions.

Leone, Bender & Seate is a Raleigh-based Personal Injury Law Firm specializing in automobile accidents and other injury cases.