The Charles & Rhonda Kolarik Legal Fund

Death and money will show you who you're surrounded by, every time.

We live in a death-denying, capital-worshiping culture. It's that simple. When the inevitable comes, there are so few accessible resources for people already going through the worst days of their lives. With that in mind, The Charles and Rhonda Kolarik Legal Fund will provide so much more than financial support.

The primary goals are to provide services that range from necessary Legal Aid to counseling services, funerary preparation services (which can often be a predatory racket all its own), and notary services.

The long-term goal is to become a national organization, with one-click, two-step access to these services. Down the line, C+R will provide so much more for people - such as recommendations and contacts for trusted, vetted hospice professionals, and likewise, in-home nursing for palliative and continued care.

But first, the ugliness in the legal system surrounding death and dying needs to be addressed. The guardianship system in this country is a shameful, broken thing, rife with corruption, and riddled with glad-handing judges, lawyers, and even clerks.

The abuse of power comes as no surprise, and it's been well-documented time and again in every court system across the country. There are so few paths of recourse once the vultures, whether they are relations or court-appointed officials, begin to sink their claws in.

This organization is going to change that.

A majority of the budget will pay the professionals who work with us a fair wage for fair work.

Yes, we will accept volunteered time, and eventually, this organization will become a place where (paid) internships are accepted by schools of law and healthcare organizations across the country.

We will be contracting for these legal positions:

Probate Lawyers

Estate Lawyers

Civil Rights Lawyers

Disability Lawyers

Paralegals

Notaries Public

Financial Advisors

Forensic Accountants

Accountants

Patient’s Rights Advocates

We will be contracting for these psychological care positions:

Grief Counseling

Family Therapists

End-of-life Care Specialists (psych)

Adolescent Counseling

ASD/Spectrum Disorder Specialists

We will be contracting for these funerary preparation positions:

Funeral director/consultant

Hospice/Palliative care patient advocates

Over time, the fund will grow, and develop into a national network of professionals who engage the system for the benefit of the families at risk, particularly focused on young people who are losing their parents.

The most vulnerable among us are the ones who exist in the margins and go unheard and unseen. They are the ones who suffer the most under the draconian, counterintuitive, and often confusing doctrine of the business of death in the United States.

Time and again, this story is told by people who are under the age of 30, and sit at the crossroads of several social intersections such as race, gender, age, and so on.

It is long overdue that these abuses were addressed and stopped by good people in the world who have seen them, lived through them, and felt helpless to do anything about them. The Charles and Rhonda Kolarik Legal Fund will exist for them.

We have a long road ahead of us, building this bulwark, but I believe in people. I believe in us. Phase one has already begun. Here you are.