GENEROSITY
Clarifying Your Legacy BY | GREG SKOOG (SJU ’89)
Jennifer Bruns Myers ’03 was a psychology major and a track and field athlete at Saint Ben’s. “My senior year I took a sports psychology class,” she recalls. “And I loved the whole concept. Once I found out that I could marry two disciplines together – sports and psychology – I’d discovered my direction. So I moved on to graduate studies to further my education and I really focused on what it meant to be a female in a sports world, or a health and fitness world.” Today she’s come full circle and works to trigger that same level of excitement while instructing on health psychology topics at Concordia University-St. Paul. At the same time, she’s a consistent giver toward scholarships at her alma mater. “Currently, my dollars go to our Bennie Gamechangers – I support the track and field and cross-country teams,” she says. “I hate the idea that a girl would be denied the opportunities I had just because the financial resources wouldn’t be there. I just can’t speak highly enough about my years on the track team. That really cemented for me what it means to demonstrate loyalty, demonstrate empathy, demonstrate stewardship … and then be able to go and apply that in the real world.”
Recently Jennifer discovered the connection Saint Ben’s Alumnae Association has with FreeWill – and the ability to create a will quickly, and for free. “It was easy. It was just a few clicks and some yes-or-no questions. The hardest part, honestly, was finding a notary,” she laughs. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect, though she acknowledges that she and her husband have a fairly straightforward financial situation. “We didn’t have a lot of complicated financial questions that needed to be answered. So, for me, it was the perfect tool for my husband and I to fill out and give us some peace of mind.” Beyond the speed and simplicity of FreeWill, Jennifer was impressed with the flexibility. “It’s changeable. If your financial circumstances change, you
change it. But it was great to have a template – a starting place. I think that’s what’s scariest for a lot of people.” Since then, she hasn’t been shy about her enthusiasm. “I did let everyone in my social circle know,” she admits. “You know, we like to group-text our stuff, so I took a little picture and said, ‘I’ve got my paperwork all ready here!’ ” For a young alumna, Jennifer found the experience a little eye-opening. “It does make you think about your legacy. What are my priorities right now? What is my purpose? What kind of things am I hoping that I’m demonstrating to others with my role modeling and behavior?”
Find out more about getting your quick, easy, free will today at freewill.com/will/getstarted. Winter 2020 | 37
