Lawyers of the Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association/the bar association of Luzerne County partnered in December with the Wills for Heroes Program, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and Wilkes University to provide area veterans and first responders and their spouses with free wills, powers of attorney, and living wills they might need for estate planning.
The chairperson for the bar committee planning the event was Attorney Stacey Acri, with planning being coordinated by Gail Kopiak, the county bar’s Deputy Executive Director of Membership Services & Events, and County Bar Executive Joe Burke, who volunteers as the Wills For Heroes County Coordinator. As such, Burke works with and interacts with Gabriele E. Miller Wagner, of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, who is a Pro Bono Specialist, the Statewide Wills for Heroes Coordinator.
The event was held at Wilkes University at its Karambelas Media and Communication Center. Margaret Petty, Director of the Center for Continued Learning at Wilkes University supervised the set up and coordinated the installation of the Wills for Heroes computer software for the volunteer lawyers to use with the Wilkes University IT Department and with Jordan Morgan, Esq., the Program Director/Statewide Coordinator for PA Wills for Heroes and the Co-Chairperson of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.
Attorney volunteers included: Stacey Acri, Esq.; Cheryl Sobeski-Reedy, Esq., the president of the Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association; Peter J. Adonizio, Jr., Esq.; Joshua Donvito, Esq.; Harry Hiscox, Esq.; Nesta Johnson, Esq.; MaryJo Kishel, Esq.; Lee A. Molitoris, Esq.; Marley E. Mullery-Zbierski, Esq.; District Attorney Samuel M. Sanguedolce, Esq. and Michael B. Senape, Esq.
Brenda D. Colbert, Esq., LLM CELA, and Kevin R. Grebas, Esq., CELA of the law firm of Colbert & Grebas, P.C., who are certified in elder law, served as the document reviewers for the event. They also brought volunteers from their firm to serve as notaries and witnesses. Notary volunteers included Louise Ligi and Brittany Rhodes. Witness volunteers included Lillian Colbert, Thomas Collins, Kenneth Motichka, and Molly Symons. Kristin Shimonis, the W-BLLA’s Deputy Executive Director of Business & Administrative Services, also volunteered to serve as a notary for the event.
Rounding the volunteers off, from the Pennsylvania Bar Association state level were Mark E. Moulton, Esq. Attorney Mouton, who in addition to meeting with the clients and preparing their documents for them, conducted a two-hour training seminar for all of the attorney volunteers. He also brought with him, Freya, a service dog, who also serves as a mascot and helper for Wills for Heroes.
In addition to this program, in December, the W-BLLA held another program to honor our area veterans. The W-BLLA’s Performing Arts Committee, chaired by Judge Jennifer L. Rogers and Joanna Bryn Smith, Esq., partnered with King’s College to feature a benefit concert performed by the band Handsome Devils.
The concert was held in the Burke Auditorium at the William G. McGowan School of Business on the King’s campus. The event was open to the public and was free for veterans and featured a Color Guard and salute to active-duty personnel and to veterans. The concert raised money for the Bar’s Luzerne County Bar Association Charitable Foundation, Inc., which provides grants throughout the year to Luzerne County 501 (c)(3) charities.