Charlotte Supports Latest Wills For Heroes

Article Date: Friday, March 20, 2009

Written By: Russell Rawlings

Who in their right mind would schedule an event on a Saturday opposite the semifinals of the ACC Tournament and expect an overflow turnout of participants and volunteers?

 

The Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association, that’s who.

 

Sure enough, that’s what happened last Saturday in Charlotte as approximately 250 first responders and their spouses turned out for the latest installment of the Wills for Heroes Project.

 

“We had 175 spots filled and a very long waiting list,” said Clark Walton, who co-chairs Wills for Heroes with Susan Upton Finch. “Including spouses, I’d estimate we served well in excess of 240 people, though I am still sorting through the paperwork.

 

“We had a large number of couples come through, so the number could easily be in excess of 260. To my knowledge no one had to wait more than 30 minutes or so to have a will done.”

 

For those who did have to wait, the basketball games were played on an auditorium projector, providing a diversion for the participants as the serious business of preparing estate planning documents transpired nearby.

 

“That certainly helped,” Walton added.

 

Wills for Heroes provides free essential estate planning documents including wills and powers of attorney to first responders including policemen, firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Volunteer lawyers, paralegals, notaries and law students are essential to the success of the program.

 

The Wills for Heroes Foundation was established by attorneys Anthony Hayes of South Carolina and Jeff Jacobson of Arizona after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The Foundation works to assist first responders across the country in a number of ways, including providing free estate planning documents and other financial assistance programs.

 

The NCBA Young Lawyers Division adopted Wills for Heroes as a public service project in 2007. In addition to three programs that have been held in Charlotte, Wills for Heroes events have also been held in Winston-Salem, Salisbury, Greensboro and Cary.

 

Every program has taken place on a Saturday, and every program has been an enormous success. Thousands of estate planning documents have been prepared free of charge for deeply appreciative first responders.

 

The 2008-09 ledger includes the following results:

 

July 17: Salisbury, 350 documents, 130 first responders/spouses;

Oct. 25: Greensboro, 900 documents, 304 first responders/spouses;

Nov. 15: Charlotte, 357 documents, 119 first responders/spouses; and

Jan. 31: Winston-Salem, 1,260 documents, 420 first responders.

 

Stay turned as the final numbers from the March 14 event in Charlotte are being tabulated, and make plans now to participate in future Wills for Heroes programs scheduled Saturday, April 18 in Raleigh and Saturday, April 25 in Statesville.