Focusing on the positive in the face of adversity was one of the messages from former Humboldt Broncos player Kaleb Dahlgren, who was the guest speaker at the 39th annual Wallaceburg Sports Hall of Fame ceremony at the UAW Hall on Saturday night.
Dahlgren suffered a brain injury, fractured skull, and several broken vertebrae in the Broncos’ April, 2018 bus crash that claimed the lives of 16 people.
Dahlgren has overcome adversity most of his life; he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was four years old.
Focusing on finding the positives and embracing the grind in life, Dahlgren’s message hit home with the Wallaceburg audience—he received three standing ovations.
Dahlgren says the support he received from across Canada and the world, helped in his healing process.
“At the end of the day, you can only control things that you can control. And for me I can’t control the accident but I can control what I think of it, and how I perceive and what I do with my work ethic afterwards,” Dahlgren says. “And for me my goal was to get back and heal and be that positive influence that I was before, and so for me the healing process started the day after I found out, I was absolutely devastated and I wanted to live my life in the light of the other ones that aren’t here today.”
The 22-year-old from Saskatoon now attends York University, where he hopes to get clearance to start playing hockey again.
Among this year’s inductees: Kevin Stirling, Jodie Christian, Brenda Schultz, Karl Toulouse, Don Verhaeghe, and Brian Armitage, and the 1978 Port Lambton senior men’s baseball team.
Annual award winners included: Meghan McCarter, Shona Branton, Louie Blackbird, Dan Vancoillie, the All-Ontario Farmers Bonspiel committee, Brady Pataki and Alec DeKoning.
While the event’s main purpose is to honour and recognize local athletes, coaches, builders and teams, Sports hall of fame committee chair Ian Dent says the event also has a secondary purpose—to give back to the community.
“All of that money goes back to the community, it goes back to local sports, for teams. Like this year we gave some money to the Flying W gymnastic team, they were looking for some help with their spring floor, so we were able to help they out. Basketball Wallaceburg, we helped them with their goal of buying some new adjustable basketball nets. A local baseball player we were able to help him with his membership fees and training fees and that type of thing.”
In close to 40 years, the hall of fame has donated close to a quarter million dollars to local charities, groups, and minor sports.
