From Cindy Maggiacomo:

"A gentleman who could neither hear nor speak came into Service Center one day. As I sat across from him I realized he was shaking so hard the table was moving. He could barely fill out the forms, so I proceeded to fill them out and explain either by him reading my lips or by writing what we were doing and then what he would receive from the court. By the time we were done, I realized the table had stopped moving and he thanked me for helping him. This process took extra time, but he really appreciated having the quiet setting in the Service Center and the privacy it provided."

"Today a young grandmother with two small grandchildren came in to the Center. I proceeded to help her fill out the forms as the two little ones ransacked the children's play area in the Center. She was very nervous and near tears so I told her I would ask her the questions and fill out the forms and she could watch the kids and that worked well. In the end, she was so grateful, and I was exhausted! If she had to go into the probate office with those two children, I know that she would not have been able to complete the paperwork, and the children would have been disrupting the whole office."

From Gina Rogers:

A woman came in the Service Center concerning her husband's death and the need for a guardianship for her child. She had no idea why she had to do this except that the insurance company told her to do it. She was also extremely upset because she had no money to pay for her husband's funeral, and started to cry loudly. In our Center materials, I had information that explained that most towns have a fund available for residents who cannot afford funeral expenses. I referred her to the town hall where she lived to inquire about receiving assistance for the funeral.

The next day she called to thank me for providing her with the referral information and helping with the guardianship forms. She said it was a huge weight taken off her shoulders, and she would never have known about town help if I didn't refer her there. She said "You have no idea how much this helped my son and me". It feels good when I help someone with such a simple task for me, but for the person, it's huge.

Send Us Your Service Center Success Stories. lMITCHELL@COURTS.STATE.NH.US