On Monday, EPPD officers had the opportunity to take advantage of Wills for Heroes, a unique program designed to assist emergency personnel in preparing wills for themselves and their families at no cost. The program was initially started in South Carolina after 9/11 and Minnesota’s version is now one of 15 programs nationwide. Minnesota’s program was started in 2007 by the Minnesota State Bar Association Probate and Trust Section and is currently part of the Minnesota Volunteer Attorney Program, Inc.
| Volunteer attorneys and data entry staff travel throughout the state on designated days and set-up clinics where the attorneys draft basic Wills, Powers of Attorney and Health Care Directives for eligible first responders and their spouses (or domestic partners). In order to complete the entire process in one hour, officers are asked to complete pre-work prior to their appointed time. Attorneys bring laptops and portable printers with them so the documents can be executed and notarized at the appointment.
The Wills for Heroes program is extremely popular. Since the program’s inception, 2,774 police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and corrections officers have been served in Minnesota alone. Thanks to this program, 24 Eden Prairie officers can now join that number in resting a bit easier knowing that their affairs are in order in the event of a tragedy. |
