Dayna Brons was a remarkable young woman who dedicated her career to looking after the well-being of others through athletic therapy and support. Her love of sport, her family, her community and her Humboldt Broncos charges were well known.
In the years following the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, groups and organizations willingly came forward to establish scholarships and awards in her name, from the Saskatchewan Roughriders to a Pittsburgh, PA athletic therapy organization, to Hockey Gives Blood, the impact of Dayna’s life and work lives on with the series of awards.
This year, one of the key beneficiaries of that generosity was Lake Lenore's Claire Moorman who was awarded several scholarships connected with Dayna’s legacy.
Moorman was the recipient of the Lake Lenore School Dayna Brons Memorial Scholarship and the Saskatchewan Lions Club Dayna Brons Memorial Scholarship, administered by the Saskatchewan Athletic Therapists Association. Claire also received the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament Legacy Leadership and Academics Award. That award is provided by the organization that hosts the annual tournament at the Humboldt Golf Course, designed to raise funds for continued scholarships.
There were other winners of key awards connected with Dayna and her efforts. The Hockey Gives Blood award is an offshoot of Dayna’s commitment to supporting blood donation and stem cell registry. This year’s winner of the Dayna Brons Honorary Award was Carson Wetch, drafted by the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. This past season Carson hosted a community blood drive, encouraged his teammates to join Canadian Blood Services stem cell registry and spent a generous amount of time being a positive role-model to young Colton.
The Dayna Brons Memorial Scholarship was established by Rebecca Kayda, an athletic therapist with Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA, with support from her husband Tom. The couple established a charitable foundation to see that a scholarship bearing Dayna’s name is awarded each year to a western Pennsylvania athletic training student who exemplifies her dedication and commitment to the profession as well as her zest for life.
This year’s recipient was Lauryn Martin from Pitt, whose interest in holistic and collaborative care fit well with the spirit embodied by Dayna in her career.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders also presented a memorial scholarship to an aspiring athletic trainer who works with them in their spring camp as Dayna did during the 2016 season. This year, Hailey Ellis was the recipient.
“The mark that she’s made on people in her short time as a young person and just starting in her career is amazing to me,” said her mother, Carol Brons, at the time that many of the awards were established.
That legacy continues to live on with the efforts of many people inspired by the gifted and caring therapist from Lake Lenore.