Parke Lawyers Becomes a GoodWILL Champion

Parke Lawyers, a highly respected law firm based in Melbourne, Australia recently became a GoodWILL Champion, supporting the work of UNICEF to improve the lives of children around the world.

What is the GoodWILL Project?

The GoodWILL Project is an initiative of UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), an organisation that was created in 1946 to provide emergency healthcare and food to mothers and children in countries that had been devastated by World War II. It has now expanded its directive to focus on improving the lives of all disadvantaged children and their families around the world, working towards overcoming the obstacles that poverty, disease, discrimination and violence place in the path of children.

The GoodWILL Project was created to link lawyers who are committed to making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children with clients who have the same beliefs and want to leave the world a better place for all children. In essence, UNICEF wants to encourage people to include a bequest in their Will that will provide vital assistance to disadvantaged children.

What does a GoodWILL Champion do?

Lawyers and law firms who are GoodWILL Champions offer to prepare, free of charge, simple Wills for anyone who wants to leave a bequest to UNICEF Australia. The reason that this project is so successful is because studies have indicated that people are happy to make these bequests, if they were approached by their lawyer at the time of writing their Will. This research provides an opportunity for UNICEF to leverage this goodwill for the greater good of children everywhere.

As a GoodWILL Champion, Parke Lawyers are proud to be in a position where they can empower their clients to help improve the lives of vulnerable children in Australia. Managing director of Parke Lawyers, Jim Parke stated that “Leaving a gift in your Will is a powerful way to help improve the lives of children in need and fighting for children’s rights in every corner of the world”.

Three practical UNICEF bequests that aid disadvantaged children

Jim Parke takes the time to emphasise that there are real-world benefits of each UNIVEF bequest made by his clients. Each bequest increases the awareness of UNICEF and the vital role they play in the lives of disadvantaged children, not only around the world, but also closer to home.

“As well as enabling people to leave a gift in their Wills, we are also able to increase awareness of the vital work of UNICEF around the world, including close to home within the Asia Pacific region”.

Whilst a UNICEF bequest will provide many opportunities for improving the lives of vulnerable children, Parke states that there are three practical bequests that are popular with their clients:

1.      A gift of real estate, as this helps organisations purchase and transport vaccinations to inaccessible areas of the Pacific.

2.      Bequeathing 1% of their estate to UNICEF Australia, as this helps to provide an education to children in war-torn countries.

3.      Gifting shares to UNICEF Australia, as this helps remote communities to receive hygiene programs, fresh water and sanitation.

Finally, Parke states that “remembering UNICEF Australia in your Will means the organisation can carry on protecting vulnerable children far into the future”.