by Phyllis G. Phillips, Esq.
Kids’ Chance Vermont Funds Educational
Opportunities for the Children of
Vermont’s Injured Workers:
It’s A Cause We Can All Support
It is appropriate, on this 100th anniversary
of Vermont’s workers’ compensation program, to take stock of where we are and
how far we have come. Balancing the interests of employers and employees alike,
the program strives to provide an efficiently managed, cost effective safety net for
workers who are injured on the job.
No single safety net can be all encompassing, however. Unfortunately, even with
access to the full spectrum of benefits offered by Vermont’s workers’ compensation
program, when a serious work-related injury occurs the consequences for the worker’s family can be far-reaching. Career and
lifestyle changes may be unavoidable, and
with them may come daunting long-term
financial challenges. Children may be especially unprepared for the impact such
changes will inevitably have on their own
lives, particularly when it comes time to
plan and pay for college.
Beginning in 2015, Kids’ Chance Vermont offers a new resource for the col-
lege-bound children of Vermont’s injured
workers. Kids’ Chance is a non-profit organization that raises money to fund needbased educational scholarships for the children of seriously or fatally injured workers.
Founded in Georgia in 1988, Kids’ Chance
chapters now exist in twenty-nine states.
Collectively, they have distributed almost
nine million dollars in scholarship awards
to deserving children who might otherwise not have been able to reach their educational goals. Support has come from all
spectrums of the workers’ compensation
system¾labor groups, employers, insurance companies and agents, lawyers, vocational rehabilitation providers, doctors and
others. Not surprisingly, it appears this is
one cause we can all stand strongly behind.
We are proud to have organized the first
Kids’ Chance chapter in New England, and
we hope you will consider assisting our efforts. If you would like to pledge your financial support, and/or if you would like to
nominate a deserving child for scholarship
consideration, please contact Keith Kasper,
Esq., for more information. On behalf of
the families of Vermont’s injured workers,
we thank you in advance for your support.
Kids’ Chance Vermont Board of Directors
Keith Kasper, Esq.
Glen