Deuterman Law Group promotes scholarship program for children of workers killed or injured on the job
Law firm unites workers’ compensation attorneys to raise awareness and money for Kids’ Chance of North Carolina
(Greensboro, N.C., June 9, 2006) – Kineshia Irby’s life changed forever in 1992 when she was just 7 years old.
Her father, a counselor for the Mecklenburg County Health Department, was returning from a workshop when he was critically injured in a car accident. He has never recovered from the injuries and remains in a semi-vegetative state 14 years later.
Kineshia’s mother, Christine Irby was suddenly thrust into the role of a single parent. From that day forward, she alone became responsible for raising her only daughter, providing for her and making sure her dreams were realized. Their story illustrates just how devastating on-the-job injuries can be for workers and for their families.
But there is hope for families like the Irbys, who live in Charlotte. Kids’ Chance of North Carolina provides scholarships to children whose parents have been catastrophically injured or killed in work-related accidents. Kineshia, who is a junior at Norfolk State University, was the state’s first recipient of a Kids’ Chance scholarship.
The scholarship program has been in existence for two years and has built up a $30,000 endowment. However, in that time, the group has received few applications from qualified students, said Martha Dealy, president of Kids’ Chance of North Carolina.
Dan and Dawne Deuterman of the Deuterman Law Group in Greensboro hope to change that.
The Deutermans have donated $2,000 to the scholarship program, and they have pledged to donate the same amount every year. In addition, they’re also taking an active role in helping publicize Kids’ Chance to attorneys and injured workers across the state.
“As a law firm that specializes in representing injured and disabled workers, we can’t think of a more worthy cause to put our time and resources behind,” said Dan Deuterman, who is a board certified specialist in workers’ compensation. “We see every day how families are affected by workplace injuries, both financially and emotionally. And we recognize that the impact of injuries is long lasting. A family’s struggles and challenges don’t disappear once we obtain a verdict or a settlement or payment of their medical expenses.”
The Deuterman Law Group plans several local fund-raisers to spotlight Kids’ Chance of North Carolina. Specific details will be announced later. They will also be actively recruiting scholarship applicants by networking with injured workers and other workers’ compensation attorneys throughout the states.
In addition, beginning in July, Deuterman Law Group will be selling copies of a Kids’ Chance cookbook that benefits the scholarship programs. Copies are $10 and will be available in mid June at Deuterman Law Group in the Law Center Building at 101 S. Elm St., Suite 170 in Greensboro.
Kids’ Chance of North Carolina scholarships are available to any student between the ages 16 and 25 whose parent’s on-the-job injury or death resulted in a substantial decline in family income. Scholarships in the amount of $4,500 annually may be used to pay for high school, technical school or college tuition, books, housing, meals or transportation. Another goal of Kids’ Chance is to prevent students from dropping out of school. So scholarship recipients may also use the money to contribute to the family income.
“Our intent is not to make it so difficult for them,” Dealy said. “Our intent is to make it so they can rise above where they are.”
In the Irbys case, the Kids’ Chance scholarship has done exactly that. “It was a relief,” Christine Irby said. “It took some of the pressure off of me and off of her. It was a blessing.”
On Friday, Kids’ Chance of North Carolina awarded a second scholarship to Hannah Anthony of Harmony. Her father, a prison guard, was killed in 1998 after he was hit by the wheels from a tractor-trailer while guarding inmates working on Interstate 77. Hannah begins her final year as a pharmacy student at Campbell University in the fall.
For more information about Kids’ Chance of North Carolina, visit www.kidschancenc.org.
About Kids’ Chance
Kids’ Chance of North Carolina is part of a national network of 26 scholarship programs for children of workers who were killed or catastrophically injured on the job. The North Carolina organization was formed in 2004 by a cross section of professionals in the workers’ compensation community, including lawyers, insurers, employers, and medical and rehabilitation professionals. The nonprofit awards scholarships annually to students between the ages of 16 and 25 whose parent’s on-the-job death or injury resulted in a substantial decline in family income.
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