North County Times Article
The Brain Aneurysm Foundation Newsletter:
The morning fog was just beginning to lift off the fields, the soft chirp
of birds welcoming a new day in San Diego. September 19th - the start of
Dawn Brejcha's 42nd birthday weekend. By the end of the weekend over 400
friends, family members and strangers had gathered together to celebrate
the occasion; to raise a beer in her honor and to play her favorite sport,
softball. It was exactly the way Dawn would have loved to celebrate her
birthday. Unfortunately, she was the one person that didn't attend. In
February 2009, Dawn lost her life, the result of a ruptured brain
aneurysm.
To honor her memory, Brejcha's friends created The Dawn Brejcha
Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of
brain aneurysms and funding for much needed research towards early
detection, prevention and cure of this silent killer. The charity softball
tournament was the natural choice for a first fund-raising event for the
foundation and featured men's and co-ed slow pitch divisions as well as a
coed 3-pitch division. The event also featured a silent auction, raffle,
concession stand and craft beer garden brought in part by the generous
donations of many local San Diego businesses. When the sun set on the
20th, Dawn's actual birthday, the foundation had raised almost $14,000
toward their cause.
At the recommendation of the Board of Directors and with full support of
Dawn's family, The Dawn Brejcha Foundation partnered with the Brain
Aneurysm Foundation to establish The Dawn Brejcha Chair of Research. This
chair will provide an annual stipend of $10,000 to be awarded to a
deserving project in the area of brain aneurysm research.
Thanks to all of the sponsors, volunteers, umpires and teams who
participated in our inaugural fundraiser. The foundation is actively
planning a spring fundraiser and working on next year's tournament. With
continued support of Dawn's family, friends and the San Diego community we
are excited about our future. For more information about Dawn and The Dawn
Brejcha Foundation, please visit http://www.dawnbrejcha.com
