Each year the Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association partners with the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Wills for Heroes program to do something to pay back our veterans and first responders for all that they have done for us and do for us and our community.
In 2025, Wilkes University joined partnership and hosted the event on their campus. Below is a photo that was taken at Wilkes.
The 2025 program was held at the Karambelas Media Center at Wilkes University. Margaret Petty, Director of the Center for Continued Learning at Wilkes helped to set everything up, along with Joe Burke and Gail Kopiak from the W-BLLA.
Attending from the PBA was Gabriele E. Miller Wagner, Pro Bono Specialist, Statewide Wills for Heroes Coordinator. Also attending were Attorney Mark Moulton and his service dog, Freya. Mark performed the two-hour training CLE for the attorney volunteers. This our volunteers consisted of the following (in alphabetical order):
Program Chair: Stacey Acri, Esq.
Peter J. Adonizio, Jr., Esq.
Joshua Donvito, Esq.
Harry Hiscox, Esquire
Nesta Johnson, Esq.
MaryJo Kishel, Esq.
Lee A. Molitoris, Esq.
Marley E. Mullery-Zbierski, Esq.
District Attorney Samuel M. Sanguedolce, Esq.
Michael B. Senape, Esq.
Bar President Cheryl Sobeski-Reedy, Esq.
Attorney Brenda Colbert and Attorney Kevin Grebas, who are certified in elder law, served as document reviewers and brought with them volunteers from their office to serve as notaries and witnesses, including Brenda’s mother. Kristin Shimonis, the W-BLLA’s Deputy Executive Director of Business & Administrative Services, also volunteered to serve as one of our notaries for the program.
Notary Volunteers included:
Louise Ligi, Brittany Rhodes, and Kristin Shimonis.
Witnesses Volunteers included:
Lillian Colbert.
Thomas Collins,
Kenneth Motichka,
Molly Symons.
Information on this year’s Wills for Heroes Program will be posted on the Calendar-CLE/Events Page when it becomes available.