Philly Leader

Brandy Halladay continues to honor her late husband, Roy Halladay, through a memorial scholarship. At Clearwater For Youth's "Breakfast at the Ballpark," Brandy awarded $180,000 in scholarships to 24 high school students in Pinellas County. This included the Phillies’ David P. Montgomery Memorial Scholarship and for the first time, the Roy Halladay Memorial Scholarship.

"I wanted to do something to remember Roy, to keep him relevant," Brandy said.

Roy Halladay died in a plane crash in November 2017. In 2019, he was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Brandy delivered an emotional induction speech during the ceremony.

"You know, life doesn’t stop," she said. "It just keeps going. So you’ve got to appreciate your time and do the best you can with it."

Clearwater For Youth (CFY) started over 50 years ago to help children play sports without financial concerns. Its mission has expanded since then. Brandy has been co-chair of CFY’s scholarship committee for about three years and was involved with CFY alongside Roy long before that.

"Roy and I always had our family foundation," Brandy said. "We’ve had that since the beginning of baseball."

After retiring from baseball, Roy focused on coaching his two sons and worked with Positive Coaching Alliance.

"Roy had a very strong opinion on how he wanted to coach a team," Brandy explained. "He really wanted to make sure that he coached kids the right way."

The Roy Halladay Memorial Scholarship is sponsored by the Halladay Family Foundation and aims to support students who demonstrate perseverance despite challenges.

"The goal for our scholarship is that the kids who come from a team that participated in Positive Coaching Alliance, those coaches and kids are rewarded," Brandy said.

Braden Halladay, 24, works with the Clearwater Threshers before starting as a data apprentice with the Texas Rangers. Ryan Halladay is also doing well at age 20.

"We’re doing well," Brandy stated. "We’re trying to simplify a bit, just focus on things that really matter."

For more information about Clearwater For Youth, visit their website.