Rochester Foundation Awards $50K in Hockey Scholarships

Dan and Jennifer O'Hara call January "Shanuary" because it's when they honor their daughter Shannon's memory in the most meaningful way possible: investing in young hockey players' futures.

This January marked their biggest giving month yet. The Shannon O'Hara Foundation awarded $50,000 in scholarships to 34 high school hockey players across Minnesota, including eight Rochester seniors who each received $3,000.

Shannon died in January 2012 at age 13 after battling an inoperable brain tumor. Weeks after her death, parents of Shannon's friends and teammates presented Dan and Jennifer with $5,000 and a simple request: do something positive in Shannon's name.

Nearly 14 years later, that gesture has grown into a thriving foundation. Last year, they awarded their 100th scholarship. This year, they gave out more Rochester scholarships than ever before.

The foundation doesn't just hand out money. Applicants submit two recommendation letters and write an essay about how playing youth hockey made them better leaders and teammates, the exact qualities Shannon demonstrated on and off the ice.

Shannon made locker rooms fun with music and singing. She was vocal on the ice and inclusive everywhere she went. Now her spirit lives on through students like Mayo's Milania Black and Abby Weick, Lourdes' Easton Gasner and Owen Barclay, and 30 others across the state.

The foundation partnered with Hockey Day Minnesota this year, giving $1,000 scholarships to one senior from each of the 26 high school teams playing at the event in Hastings. Rochester alone sent eight students home with awards.

The Ripple Effect

Shannon's foundation shows how one community's compassion can multiply across years and lives. That initial $5,000 gift from grieving parents has now funded over 100 students' college dreams. Each scholarship recipient carries forward Shannon's legacy of leadership and kindness, spreading those values through their own teams and communities.

The O'Hara family turned their deepest loss into lasting hope for dozens of young athletes who'll never meet Shannon but will benefit from the love she inspired.