Statesville Responds To Wills For Heroes

Article Date: Saturday, April 25, 2009

The Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association, convening Friday for the first day of its spring meeting, responded with thunderous applause to a report proclaiming that more than 1,400 first responders and their spouses have participated in Wills for Heroes programs this year.

Above, Hillsborough Attorney Connie Gergen Lowe assists couples.

The report was presented by Patti Ramseur who chairs the NCBA’s Young Lawyers Division, which has taken on Wills for Heroes as its signature project for 2008-09.

Within 24 hours, however, the report was outdated. Following a successful Wills for Heroes program the following day in Statesville, it can now be said that free estate planning documents have now been prepared for more than 1,500 first responders and their spouses.  

Beyond the numbers, the Wills for Heroes story truly is a living, breathing example of the good works and great deeds that are performed by North Carolina lawyers on a daily basis. In this particular story, volunteer attorneys are joined by law students, paralegals and notaries in providing a greatly needed service to those who often put their lives at risk.

In Statesville alone, 95 first responders and their spouses were served by a volunteer workforce of 32. The program marked the seventh Wills for Heroes event conducted by the YLD this year; the next program is scheduled May 30 in Wilmington.

“As a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, I was proud to lend a hand in the Wills for Heroes program in Statesville,” said Constantine “Costi” Kutteh, who practices law with Pope McMillan Kutteh Privette Edwards & Schieck while also serving as mayor of Statesville.

“As mayor of Statesville, I was doubly proud that so many firefighters, emergency personnel and their families were served by this outstanding program. I congratulate the Young Lawyers Division for hosting such an important program.”

Susan Upton Finch of Raleigh and Clark Walton of Charlotte co-chair the YLD Wills for Heroes Committee. Both participated in the Statesville program.

“The first responders were extremely grateful that we chose a smaller town such as Statesville in a less urban setting than Raleigh or Charlotte, for instance,” Walton said. “They were impressed that many of the volunteers drove from out of town to participate in the program.”

Notary Angel Carter reviews document before affixing seal.

“Everyone who came out Saturday to have their wills drafted was very appreciative,” Finch added, “with many people stopping on their way out to thank the lawyers and notaries and witnesses who had just drafted and witnessed their will for spending their Saturday working on this project.

“It was a beautiful day outside, but we had great volunteers who spent their day inside giving back to the community by drafting these wills and other documents for first responders and their families.”

Wills for Heroes provides free essential estate planning documents including wills and powers of attorney to first responders. 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 2007-08. The effort has been expanded this year under the leadership of NCBA President Charles Becton who established Wills for Heroes as a major objective of his year in office.