It has been a busy and successful last couple of days here in Rochester. Dan and I are still coming down from the events of Thursday night.
We handed out the first ever Shannon O'Hara Memorial Scholarships. This idea, this goal we had to honor Shannon came to fruition and that feels really good. We've said often that we need to make something good come out of our terrible loss, and here it is.
And, we couldn't be happier with the two student athletes chosen by our foundation board of directors: Rebecca Lorsung of Rochester Century and Brian Murray of Rochester Mayo. (To see photos, check out the foundation website - shannonoharafoundation.org)
It was a pleasure to meet these two kids and their parents. They are both kind, humble student athletes who felt honored to receive the scholarship. We heard from a teacher and a coach of Rebecca's that she's a great kid and a great choice. We heard from Brian's mother that when he received the call from us letting him know he had been chosen, he jumped around the room with excitement.
These two work hard in school and on the ice, they are great teammates, they each love the sport of hockey and give back to it by helping out with the younger players. In my imagination, I think Shannon would have been the same way.
In addition to the scholarship presentations, the Mayo and Century boys hosted "Shoot for Shannon" night and had fundraising events that helped us raise another $1200 for the foundation. We continue to be amazed by this community of ours. Thank you, thank you...
Friday was another non-stop day including two trips to radiation - my machine was down all morning, so my 8am appointment didn't happen and we had to return at 11am for treatment. 20 down, 10 to go. Dan and I didn't waste that down time, running errands in between and taping a radio interview with local country DJ, Julie Jones.
Next week is the Country Cares for St. Jude Radioathon and we offered our support and shared our story, including reading an excerpt from Determined to Matter. Besides raising money for the scholarships, the second goal of our foundation is to help fund brain tumor research at St. Jude and the Mayo Clinic.
The St. Jude Radioathon will be on air Thursday and Friday, February 21 and 22 from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. You can listen live here in town on 102.5 the Fox FM, online at http://www.1025thefox.com, or on the I Heart Radio app. And, if you call in to donate on Thursday between noon and 3:00 pm, I might even be the one answering your call.
Today we are busy with two basketball games here in town for Erin. The Spartans season is winding down now, two weeks to go.
After all that, Sunday will hopefully be a day of rest...
