LEAVE AN INSPIRING LEGACY
Canadian charities, local lawyers providing free wills for GTA residents
Whether you’ve never drafted a will or it’s time to update an existing one, there’s no better time than the month of May, a.k.a. Free Wills month.
“Often, people are afraid that drafting a will is going to be expensive, or they’re hesitant about getting involved with lawyers,” says Toni Andreola, campaign director for Free Wills in Canada. “This campaign presents an opportunity for anyone age 55 and over who needs a simple, straightforward will to work with a participating law firm and have their will prepared free of charge.”
While this is the first time the Free Wills promotion has been run in the GTA, the campaign has been held in other Ontario cities since 2010, each with a unique roster of charities supporting the initiative. This month’s campaign in Toronto is being sponsored by six charities: the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Royal Ontario Museum.
Why the charity connection? “Only about seven per cent of Canadians choose to include one or more charities in their will,” explains Andreola. “A much higher proportion of people say they would have included charities if they’d thought about it at the time. The campaign reminds Canadians to consider making legacy gifts in their will.”
Indeed, over the seven years since Free Wills launched, approximately 60 per cent of the people using one of the Free Wills campaigns have included charitable gifts in their wills. These gifts are important to charities; legacy gifts make up a large portion of a charity’s income. Such gifts are optional for anyone having their will written through the Free Wills program, and any charity can be the recipient of a legacy gift. “Many people give fantastic support to charities,” says Andreola. “A gift in your will has an added advantage: it costs you nothing in your lifetime. You can allocate gifts to your family and friends, then consider leaving the remainder to charity.”
A list of the law firms in the GTA that are taking part in Free Wills Month is available on the Free Wills Month website, freewillsmonth.ca. You can select a lawyer closest to you and call to set up an appointment. You don’t need to have the will prepared during the month of May to qualify for the free promotion, but you do have to contact the law firm by May 31.
For more information, visit freewillsmonth.ca or call 1-888-337-2884.