As a native North Carolinian, it was rewarding to visit new areas of the state and give something back to those less-fortunate. However, the greatest impact, for me, was the eye-opening experience of seeing the level of poverty and exclusion in communities only a few hours from Chapel Hill, and learning that similarly-excluded communities exist right in Orange County. I, as I am sure many of us do, take for granted resources that seem so basic—access to water, sewer, paved roads, street lights, public transportation, and even proper grocery stores. Being able to walk through these communities and put a face on the issues facing excluded communities across the state was the most impactful experience.
Read More... (At times it may feel like we are fighting a war of attrition against the cycle of poverty, but there are tangible goals to be achieved.)
| Posted by Kevin L. Denny on Thu. March 8, 2012 11:45 AM
Categories: Spring Break 2012 (Eastern)
I expected to learn a lot about document preparation on the trip and for our clients to be very nice and thankful that we were helping them, and of course, these clients met my expectations. I admired how gracefully they approached sensitive issues, such as naming someone to make decisions for them when they lose the capacity to do it for themselves and discussing their end-of-life wishes. They also were all wonderful clients with big personalities–some were sweet and kind and others were hilarious, and I felt very fortunate to be able to help them.
Read More... (It was a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to go on another Wills Trip.)
| Posted by Jordan N. Wolfe on Thu. March 8, 2012 11:13 AM
Categories: Spring Break 2012 (Western)
What an amazing privilege for me to be able to help people in Western North Carolina in this way! As a practicing financial planner, I often had the opportunity to explain to my clients why having a will and advance directives was important. I came to law school because simply explaining why these documents were so important was no longer good enough. I wanted to have a bigger impact. I wanted to be able to ensure my clients took the important next steps and actually followed my advice. I wanted to prepare wills and advance directives. To have the opportunity to do this before I had completed my education? Amazing.
Knowing what moves a person to action with respect to making end of life plans makes this experience all the more meaningful. All of our clients were so appreciative. I hope they all know how appreciative I am of everything—not only to have had the opportunity to provide such an important service to them, and to have them place their trust in me to put their intentions in writing, but also to learn from them. To learn about how to draft these documents of course, but also to allow me to learn about them, what matters to them, what motivates them, and to allow me into their family for just a short time, long enough to make an impact. I hope they realize that this experience means at least as much to me as it does (or it will) to them and their families.
Read More... (To have the opportunity to do this before I had completed my education? Amazing.)
| Posted by Deborah A. McDermott (Debbie) on Wed. March 7, 2012 5:04 PM
Categories: Spring Break 2012 (Western)