The Bucks County Opportunity Council and Grace M. Deon, Esquire, president and CEO of Eastburn and Gray, PC, have partnered to provide free wills to participants in BCOC’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
The VITA program, an IRS-supported initiative, offers free tax preparation services to low-and moderate-income individuals and families. During tax appointments, participants were given the opportunity to express interest in receiving assistance with preparing a will. Through this collaboration, several VITA clients were able to meet with Attorney Deon and receive a completed will at no cost, according to a news release.
“While attending BCOC’s annual breakfast last November, I was moved by a VITA participant’s story about how the program strengthened her family’s finances,” said Deon in a news release. “It occurred to me that many participants may not have access to legal resources to prepare a will. Offering this service felt like the right way to give back. It has been wonderful to meet the participants, who were grateful and proud to leave with their executed wills in hand.”
Deon, who has practiced employment, commercial, and special education law for over 30 years, also serves as Chair of the Distribution Committee of the Bucks County Foundation (BCF). BCF has long supported BCOC’s mission to reduce poverty and promote economic self-sufficiency, including establishing a BCOC endowment fund in 2019 and providing nearly $135,000 in program funding over the years, according to the release.
Since BCOC began offering the VITA program in 2005, volunteers have prepared more than 21,900 tax returns, resulting in $37.5 million being reinvested in the Bucks County community through refunds, credits, and fees saved. The program plays a vital role in helping families achieve financial stability and plan for the future. Eastburn and Gray’s in-kind donation is estimated to be $650 per will, according to the release.
BCOC extended its gratitude to Deon, Eastburn and Gray, PC, and program supporters including the IRS, the Bucks County Foundation, and First National Bank and Trust of Newtown for their partnership and dedication to empowering local families.
BCOC is the lead anti-poverty, non-profit organization in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, dedicated to ending poverty by connecting people with the resources they need to thrive. For 60 years, the Opportunity Council has served low-income families in Bucks County by helping them to stabilize when in crisis, garner resources to achieve a livable wage, gain additional education and training, and work towards economic self-sufficiency.
BCOC has five major program areas: Housing, Food, Weatherization, Volunteer Income Tax Preparation (VITA) and the Economic Self-Sufficiency (ES) Program.
Housing includes emergency services, rental and move in aid, and utility shut-off prevention. The Food Program supplies food directly to families through a network of 75 food pantries and distribution sites. Weatherization services help families in reducing their energy costs. VITA provides free income tax preparation assistance.
The ES Program assists individuals and families to leave poverty permanently through case management, education, and employment.
The tradition of excellence at the law firm of Eastburn and Gray, P.C. began nearly 150 years ago and continues today. With law offices in Doylestown, Bucks County; Blue Bell, Montgomery County; and Bethlehem, Lehigh County, its attorneys provide high quality legal services throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As a full-service firm, Eastburn and Gray attorneys practice in diverse areas of the law, effectively meeting the needs of the firm’s clients. To learn more about the firm, its practice areas and attorneys, visit www.eastburngray.com
