On Sept. 12, members of the Arcadia community gave back to those who have served in the armed forces and as first responders by providing a frequently put off but critical service: estate planning.

At Wills for Heroes, organized by the Student Veteran Organization (SVO) with the help of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, volunteers prepared 64 wills for veterans and first responders. A group of sixty volunteers, comprised of notaries, attorneys, and witnesses, assisted in preparing the wills, a service that can otherwise cost thousands of dollars.

Judge Christopher Cerski, adjunct professor of historical and political studies, volunteered as a witness, while Mary Sims, adjunct professor in the School of Global Business, prepared wills.

Food and supplies were provided by several Arcadia and local community sponsors: The Law Office of John Fox, Parkhurst Dining, Wegman’s, Staples, Lee’s Hoagie House, and Arcadia’s Office of Enrollment Management.

“It was a wonderful event that brought many people and services from the region to Arcadia,” said Dr. Amy Widestrom, assistant professor of historical and political studies and faculty adviser for SVO.

Arcadia’s Wills for Heroes was the only event of its kind recently hosted by a university.