10/01/2026
(From left to right in photo) Donors Trenton Moniuk, Kara Stokes and Stephanie Moniuk, along with advancement officer Katrina Harding and AST instructor Cam Jepsen.
After Brendan Stokes passed away at the age of 19 in a workplace accident, family and friends started a memorial fund in his name. His mom Kara Stokes and friend Jeremy Gauthier rallied their community and raised $5,000 to launch the Brendan Avery Stokes Memorial Scholarship Fund, which supports automotive students at TRU Trades & Technology.
On Sept. 28, TRU alum Trenton and Stephanie Moniuk presented a $3,000 cheque to the university in support of the fund, which was raised at an event they organized last May called the Cars and Dreams Show and Shine. They hope to make it an annual event. Stephanie, Trenton and Kara wish to acknowledge fellow organizers of Cars and Dreams: Jarod Whitrick, Stacy Whitrick, Tanner Douglas, Chloe Edwards, Hailey Plunkett, Hudson Plunkett, Brody Fisher and Rebekah Miller.
The first annual award went out in March 2026. Further fundraising is underway to raise $25,000 and create an endowment that will provide funding to help pave the way for many more AST students in memory of Brendan. To contribute, visit, tru.ca/stokes
