Last year, Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant held a special fundraising event at four of its locations, to both honor the memory of prior team member, Terrell L. Bruce, and raise funds for a memorial scholarship fund in his name. Bruce was the fatal victim of gun violence back in December of 2016. This year, on Thursday, April 19, Iron Hill is bringing back its commemorative beer brewed in Terrell’s honor, LeBruce Saison, and also hosting the Give 20 fundraiser for the benefit of the Terrell L. Bruce Memorial Fund.
The event will honor the memory of former server Terrell L. Bruce with the second-annual release of LeBruce Saison from 5 p.m.–10 p.m. at four different Iron Hill locations: Iron Hill Ardmore, Iron Hill Chestnut Hill, Iron Hill Maple Shade and Iron Hill North Wales. Throughout the evening, $1 from every LeBruce Saison sold will be donated to the Terrell L. Bruce Memorial Fund, and all four participating locations will donate back 20% of the food sales for every table that presents a Give 20 partner coupon, valid only for April 19.
Terrell was shot and killed in December 2016 at the tender age of 33 in Northwest Philadelphia. In 2017, Terrell was memorialized by his twin brother, Brandon S. Bruce, with the founding of the Terrell L. Bruce Memorial Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides scholarships to students from economically, socially or culturally disadvantaged backgrounds who demonstrate a longstanding commitment to community service and academic excellence.
In May 2017, Brandon established an annual scholarship program to honor Terrell where two deserving seniors at Roxborough High School are awarded scholarships in the amount of $1,102.83 — the monetary equivalent of the twin brothers’ birthdays — for college tuition. This year’s winners will be announced on June 1 at an awards ceremony in Philadelphia. Iron Hill has been the largest contributor to the Terrell L. Bruce Memorial Fund since the charity’s inception.
“We gave Iron Hill a plaque last year as a thank you for their continued support and it’s a partnership we would love to keep going,” says Brandon. “Terrell worked there for seven years and it shows that once you become a part of the Iron Hill family, you stay a part of the Iron Hill family.”
The LeBruce Saison is a big saison brewed with apricot for juicy stone fruit flavor and earthy spice tones. It was crafted from a recipe that Terrell created a few years ago along with the brew team, and Iron Hill will serve it to honor him and his consistently stellar commitment to the company and his colleagues.
“Terrell was a true friend to everyone here at Iron Hill, and we know he is smiling down on us,” says Warren Sewell, regional manager (who worked with Terrell) at Iron Hill. “We are proud to support Brandon and the entire Terrell L. Bruce Memorial Fund in any way we can for many, many years to come.”
In 2010, Terrell started a separate organization called the Nathaniel M. Kirkland Foundation in honor of their brother, Nathaniel Kirkland, a second-year college student who tragically died in July 2009 after drowning during a “Serve the World” trip in Guatemala. The Terrell L. Bruce Memorial Fund continues the great legacy started by Terrell with the Nathaniel M. Kirkland Foundation, through the Terrell L. Bruce Memorial Fund, which is run and operated by Brandon. The Terrell L. Bruce Memorial Fund works with the Philadelphia Education Fund to identify students throughout the Philadelphia Public School system to apply for one of the four annual Nathaniel M. Kirkland Scholarship awards provided by the Terrell L. Bruce Memorial Fund. The four scholarships are $500 each and are directly payable to the students, so the money is not counted against the student’s potential institution grants or financial aid. The purpose is to provide last-dollar scholarships to students facing socio-economic hardships that aren’t always factored in by colleges or universities.
“Although the annual scholarships that we award are in honor of both Nathaniel and Terrell, I view them as a testament to our mother who put herself through college and raised seven children on her own,” Brandon said. “Our mother taught us that education represents the best means for upward mobility, and serves as the ideal route for those hoping to secure a more prosperous future regardless of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles you may encounter along the way.”
Show your support by visiting Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant at the Ardmore, North Wales, Chestnut Hill or Maple Shade locations on April 19 and honor the memory of Terrell by helping to raise funds for these two wonderful organizations!
Find Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant Ardmore at 60 Greenfield Ave. in Ardmore; phone: (610) 228-2280; Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant North Wales at 1460 Bethlehem Pike in North Wales; phone: (267) 708-2000; Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant Chestnut Hill at 8400 Germantown Ave. in Chestnut Hill; phone: (215) 948-5600; Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant Maple Shade at 124 E. Kings Hwy. in Maple Shade; phone: (856) 273-0300.
- Photos: Terrell L. Bruce Memorial Fund
