Press readers aid man impoverished during guardianship
Ken Schmidt of Toms River.He is pictured with his lawyer, Joseph J. LaCosta, Esq, in the offices of Caluccio, Leone, Dimon, Doyle & Sacks, LLC in Toms River. / TANYA BREEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
How to help
Donations for Ken Schmidt can be sent to: Ken Schmidt, care of Shannon Mullen, Asbury Park Press, 3601 Highway 66, Neptune NJ 07754
“I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and God bless you.” Ken
Schmidt
TOMS RIVER — Ken Schmidt, who won an
uphill battle last month to regain the legal rights he lost when he suffered a
brain injury in a fall two years ago, is starting the new year on a happier
note, thanks in part to the generosity of Asbury Park Press readers.
The 75-year-old Toms River resident finally was able to extricate himself from the confines of a court-ordered guardianship on Dec. 16, only to find his old life in disarray.
While under the protection of the state Public Guardian, who was responsible for making medical and financial decisions on Schmidt’s behalf, his savings were wiped out, most of his furniture and other belongings were disposed of, and his townhouse wound up in foreclosure.
His home wasn’t even habitable when the guardianship was terminated because all the utilities had been shut off for nonpayment during his absence. Helen C. Dodick, the acting Public Guardian, told the Press last month that her agency is constrained by the limits of a ward’s assets, if any exist, and often can’t pay off all of the person’s debts.
Over the past few weeks, however, the kindness of strangers has given Schmidt’s spirits a boost.
So far, more than a dozen people who read about Schmidt’s predicament in the Press have contributed more than $700 to help him out, in addition to donating a sofa, new dishes and other household items to replace the possessions Schmidt lost.
“I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and God bless you,” Schmidt said.
The Office of the Public Guardian has stepped up, too. The agency’s attorney, Suzanne Dykes, arranged to have Schmidt’s utilities restored, and has persuaded Schmidt’s bank not to pursue the foreclosure, he said. Schmidt paid off his mortgage years ago, but the reverse mortgage he obtained in 2005 gave the bank the right to foreclose if he stopped living in the home.
“They’re going to back off, as long as they’re assured that somebody is here, so that’s one worry out of the way,” Schmidt said.
The 75-year-old Toms River resident finally was able to extricate himself from the confines of a court-ordered guardianship on Dec. 16, only to find his old life in disarray.
While under the protection of the state Public Guardian, who was responsible for making medical and financial decisions on Schmidt’s behalf, his savings were wiped out, most of his furniture and other belongings were disposed of, and his townhouse wound up in foreclosure.
His home wasn’t even habitable when the guardianship was terminated because all the utilities had been shut off for nonpayment during his absence. Helen C. Dodick, the acting Public Guardian, told the Press last month that her agency is constrained by the limits of a ward’s assets, if any exist, and often can’t pay off all of the person’s debts.
Over the past few weeks, however, the kindness of strangers has given Schmidt’s spirits a boost.
So far, more than a dozen people who read about Schmidt’s predicament in the Press have contributed more than $700 to help him out, in addition to donating a sofa, new dishes and other household items to replace the possessions Schmidt lost.
“I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and God bless you,” Schmidt said.
The Office of the Public Guardian has stepped up, too. The agency’s attorney, Suzanne Dykes, arranged to have Schmidt’s utilities restored, and has persuaded Schmidt’s bank not to pursue the foreclosure, he said. Schmidt paid off his mortgage years ago, but the reverse mortgage he obtained in 2005 gave the bank the right to foreclose if he stopped living in the home.
“They’re going to back off, as long as they’re assured that somebody is here, so that’s one worry out of the way,” Schmidt said.
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