Monthly advice on how to write your child's Letter of Intent,
also known as a Life Plan
This issue of the Life Planners newsletter is about parent or guardian information.
As you prepare to write your child's Letter of Intent, think about what kinds of information you would need to include about yourself, in order to fully prepare your child's guardian. Below is an excerpt from an actual Letter of Intent that will give you some ideas.
I am a white male born on October 16, 1954 in Rockville Centre in Nassau County of Long Island, New York. I was baptized Roman Catholic and received my first communion at St. James R.C. Church in Massapequa, New York. I lived at 56 Hanover Road in Massapequa of Nassau County, New York until my family moved to 9 Harlequin Terrace in Alpine of Bergen County, New Jersey in 1969. I was confirmed at St. John's R.C. Church in Alpine. I graduated from Alpine High School in 1972 and graduated with honors with a BS in Accounting from Montclair State University in 1976. I moved out of my parents' house to 72 Lincoln Avenue Apartment 14B in Suffern of Rockland County, New York in 1976.
In 1981, I moved to 61B Kenner Drive in Monsey of Rockland County, New York. I purchased a condominium at 6 Lester Drive in Spring Valley in 1983. I moved to 18 Clinton Place in Kingston of Ulster County, New York in 1991. I married Sharon on May 5, 1991 in Holy Name Church in Suffern of Rockland County, New York and moved into Sharon's house at 50 Merriweather Road in Kingston of Ulster County, New York. (Since we lived there, the homes on Merriweather Road have been renumbered-our old house is now #19, but it was #50 when we lived there.) Our family moved to Dumont in 1993.
My father and mother, James (Jim) Lee and Josephine (Jo) Esposito Lee, still live at 9 Harlequin Terrace in Alpine. Their phone number is 201-391-3734. Jim was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927. Jo was born in the Bronx, New York in 1932. They were married in 1952. Jim and Jo are both retired.
My sister Mary (Mary) was born in 1960. She married Ralph Hendricks in 1990 and they live in the home of my parents. Their phone number is 201-837-1439. Their daughter Susan (Suzy) was born in 1996. Mary is a researcher at New York University and Ralph is a chiropractor. Mary and Ralph are Daniel's godparents.
My sister Meredith was born in 1961. She married James Delmonico in 1991 and they live at 38 New Line Avenue in Wayne of Passaic County, New Jersey. Their phone number is 555-555-5555. Their sons Harry and Jeffrey were born in 1993 and 1996, respectively. Meredith is a homemaker and James is a computer programmer. Meredith and James are Annette's godparents.
My brother Lester (Les) was born in 1962. He married Alice Piazza in 1991 and they live at 29 Hansler Lane in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Their phone number is 201-831-1312. Their sons Mark and George were born in 1993 and 1997, respectively. Alice is a homemaker and Les is a partner with a computer consulting company. Les and Alice are Derek's godparents.
Sharon and I each have executed a general durable power of attorney (attached) naming the other as agent. In the event that Sharon is unable to perform as my agent, my backup agent is Uncle Les. The agent can act in any way on my behalf in the event that I am incapacitated and unable to act on my own. Consult our attorney, Harris Lawton, in the event advice is needed.
Sharon is a white female born on May 26, 1957 in Floral Park in Nassau County of Long Island, New York. She was baptized at First Presbyterian Church in Syosset, New York. She lived at 12 Sunnyside Lane in Syosset until her family moved to 19 Willow Lane in Hicksville of Nassau County, New York in 1965. She was also confirmed at First Presbyterian Church in Syosset. She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Syosset in 1975 and graduated with a BS in Education from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1980.
Sharon lived at various addresses in Ulster County, New York (Highland, New Paltz, Kingston, and Lake Katrine) before purchasing a home at 50 Merriweather Road in Kingston of Ulster County, New York in 1986. (Since we lived there, the homes on Merriweather Road have been renumbered-our old house is now #19, but it was #50 when we lived there.) Sharon converted to Catholicism at St. Paul's R.C. Church in Kingston, New York in 1991. She married me on May 5, 1991 and our family moved to Dumont in 1993.
Sharon's father and mother, James (Jim) Lowe and Angela (Angie) Robinson Lowe, still live at 19 Willow Lane in Hicksville. Their phone number is 516-761-7352. Jim was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1928. Angie was also born in Brooklyn in 1928. They were married in 1950. Jim and Angie are both retired.
Sharon's brother Daniel was born in 1951. He lives with wife Tina at 23 Ridge Road in Plattsburgh, New York. Their phone number is 518-899-5996. They have no children. Tina is a professor at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and Daniel is a free-lance artist and the director of the university's art galleries.
Sharon's brother Mitchell (Mitch) was born in 1954. He lives at 105 Poplar Court in Columbia, South Carolina. His phone number is 864-844-4680. He married Agnes Henderson in 1981, but they are in the process of a divorce. Their son Michael Horace (Horace) was born in 1989, their son Wilson (Willie) was born in 1992, and their daughter Henrietta (Hennie) was born in 1994. Mitch is an executive for Allied-Signal and Agnes is a full-time homemaker.
Sharon's sister Nancy (Nancy) was born in 1963. She married John (Mickey) Mikkelson in 1998 and lives at 43 Phistert Street in Lindenhurst, New York. Her phone number is 516-354-6586. She has no children and Mickey has three children from a prior marriage, his stepdaughter Anna (who has two kids of her own), his daughter Sarah, and his son John (Jack). Sarah and Jack visit Nancy and Mickey every other weekend. Nancy owns a dog grooming business and Mickey owns an electronic gates and security systems company. Nancy and Mickey are Elizabeth's co-godparents along with Uncle Sammy.
Sharon and I each have executed a general durable power of attorney (attached) naming the other as agent. In the event that I am unable to perform as Sharon's agent, her backup agent is Aunt Nancy. The agent can act in any way on Sharon's behalf in the event that Sharon is incapacitated and unable to act on her own. Consult our attorney, Harris Lawton, in the event advice is needed.
Whether it's about teenage issues or where to find special-fitting pants, other parents can be of enormous help in finding what we need quickly in our busy lives. Why not join a message board on the web?
Just find your favorite search engine, such as Google, and type in the kind of disability your child has, along with keywords such as "message board," "group," or "parent information." Try different keywords until you find something you like.
You can be anonymous on a message board if you need. These boards not only offer information, but also some venting and comic relief. In today's society, where we are isolated more than ever by our schedules, a web-based support group can be just what the doctor ordered.
Yahoo! Groups are especially user-friendly message boards, if you can find your topic there. You might try the Yahoo! Group directory. Here's an example of a Yahoo! Group for parents of teens with Down Syndrome:
Finances and services—overview |
Sample Letter of Intent finances and services entry |
Life Planners tip
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| Download our Sample Letter of Intent. In response to popular demand, we are now offering Daniel Lee's Letter of Intent in MS Word format. (All sensitive and identifying information has been changed.) |
Step by stepFollowing is adapted from a sidebar in Newsday (a Long Island newspaper) July 23, 2007: Don't know how to get started in planning for your child's financial future?: Here's a quick step-by-step guide:
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