Volunteer UP board member Ann Madden (left) with Jessica Bruner, wife of volunteer attorney Chris Bruner, at a recent event.
In memory of Cherry Hill resident Chris Bruner, the Camden-based nonprofit Volunteer UP Legal Clinic is hosting its second annual estate-planning workshop on Monday, April 29 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the township library.
The free event is open to township residents and non-residents and to those whose loved ones have recently passed, as well as those interested in general information.
Rosy Arroyo, a board member for Volunteer UP, knew Bruner not only through his volunteer work with and donations to the nonprofit, but also as a neighbor. She recalled how – in addition to volunteering with her group – he also did backpack giveaways and provided meals to the community during COVID.
“(Chris) and his team at American Construction would do barbeques or provide meals and just hold space and share conversations with individuals who were impacted,” Arroyo remembered. ” … He was just a beautiful person, extremely kind and giving. He was always donating.”
Bruner passed away suddenly in 2022, all the more reason for the estate planning workshop, according to Arroyo.
“Because of everything (Bruner) gave to the community, we wanted to provide community something that memorialized all of his efforts and works,” she explained. “And because he passed so young and he had a young family, the Volunteer UP Legal Clinic wanted to make sure that we provided information and space for families and people and communities to meet with our attorneys … for estate planning and next steps in life, if something like this were ever to occur in their lives.”
The workshop is also an opportunity for attendees to learn more about complex end-of-life issues. Presenters will cover topics like how to organize a living will, power of attorney, how to put things in order financially and what insurance can look like. Free meetings with attorneys will be also available at the library.
“It’s never just like, ‘Here’s an educational discussion,'” Arroyo noted. “(It’s like), here’s how you do this, and here are the barriers. And then we connect with pro-bono attorneys so they can work with t hem (attendees)and help them with their individual scenario.
“We provide more than education,” she added. “We provide that next step, where access is available and people get what they need from any part of the system.”
Volunteer UP holds other legal clinics during the year, including those on expungement and the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. The organization has been around for two years on its own, but was previously based at Camden’s Urban Promise.
Registration for the workshop is required. Visit www.volunteeruplegalclinic.org/estateplanning.
