Senior Pastor Ahron Cooney had just left Chatham Baptist Church, passing the YNOT (Youth Needing Other Things) after-school program on his way home, minutes before a deadly crash at the facility nearly a year ago.
Shortly after arriving home, a school counselor and church member called Cooney, suggesting he might want to head back to the church.
That’s when Cooney learned a vehicle had struck the building and that the camp was needing a safe place to bus students to reunify families, so he jumped back into his truck.
On his way, Cooney saw roads blocked by helicopters and the ambulances. The first police officer he encountered trying to get access to the church was from Rochester.
“That’s when I started to realize the scale of the incident,” Cooney recently told The State Journal-Register.
Cooney’s church hosted a community vigil April 25 marking the one-year anniversary of the April 28 crash that killed four grade school students and a high school camp counselor: Ainsley Johnson, 8; Kathryn “Kit” Corley, 7, and Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, all of Chatham; and Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield.
Another student, Bradley James Lund, 8, of Springfield died June 2. Several students were injured, some severely.
A Chicago law firm announced April 19 that it filed a wrongful death lawsuit against YNOT, the building’s manufacturer and Marianne Akers, whose Jeep crashed into building. Akers has not been charged in the aftermath of the crash.
The vigil, attended by U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, and State Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, included the dedication of a 152-pound cross by Dan Beazley, a Northville, Michigan, man who showed up in Chatham the day after the crash carrying a 10-foot cross.
“A big part of his ministry, is to show up in these communities that are affected by tragedies and be a beacon of hope in a time of stress,” Cooney said of Beazley, known as “the cross guy.” “He has shared how Chatham rallied around one another, supported one another quicker and stronger than most communities he’s encountered, so he has a special place in his heart for Chatham and wanted to do something for us.”
‘A beacon of light’
Addressing the 200 or so people at the vigil, Beazley called Chatham “a beacon of light in the darkness” and said he often points other communities that have endured tragedies back to the village.
“I tell them they need to do what Chatham is doing, all of the vigils, the community events, the fundraisers, #Chatham Strong, the Chatham Strong Fest,” Beazley said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. You guys never forgot. When the cameras were turned off, this community stepped up at a level I’ve never seen before.”
The idea to leave crosses permanently at places like Camp Mystic in Texas and Utah Valley University, where right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, is a newer idea, Beazley said. On April 29, Beazley will return to Shreveport, Louisiana, to dedicate a cross where eight children were shot to death April 19.
The cedar cross in Chatham was built by the Capital Area Woodworkers Guild. There will be landscaping around the cross, which will be lit so people can pray at it or leave memorials, Beazley said.
Beazley’s cross inspired 10-year-old, Jillian Hummel, who attends Glenwood Elementary School. Hummel, with some her friends, hand paint small crosses which she distributes through her ministry, Hope Across the Nation with Jillian.
Hummel, who knew several of the students killed in the crash, said it’s “amazing” to have the ministry, “but I am really heartbroken that this happened. I feel that there’s hope. I’m hoping we can remember them and hope they are shining down on us and God is keeping them safe.”
Likewise, Dewayne Rancher has children who knew the students killed in the crash. At the vigil, Rancher said Chatham was even stronger a year later.
“More people are praying, more people are coming together, more love and everything else,” he said.
Day of kindness
Chatham Mayor Dave Kimsey said the village has declared April 28 to be “a day of remembrance and kindness.”
At its April 14 meeting, village leaders passed a resolution encouraging residents to engage in “simple, heartfelt gestures, such as helping a neighbor, supporting local families, playing, creating and sharing joy.”
Kimsey, who was at the church the day of the crash, said what is most telling for him is that people heeded the advice offered in the days after the tragedy. That advice most prominently came from public vigils on the village square and at the high school football field.
“I hear people still repeating words of encouragement and the guidance and advice that was offered from spiritual leaders and counselors and all those who were helping facilitate everything at the time,” he said. “They really sunk in and gave weight to the moment, and it has guided people through the year.”
For Kimsey, the question that “comes up in my head a lot more frequently and a lot clearer now is, ‘Is this helpful?’ I find that in the way that I talk about things publicly, the initiatives that I try to go after, that comes up a lot more. I think it keeps you from saying things you regret later.”
The overriding sentiment, Kimsey said, “is never forget these children and the impact that it left and the legacy of their too-short-of-lives and do things in their honor.”
Cooney said church members have been talking the past year about how else they can serve in the community and “love our neighbors well.
“Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God and the second is like it, to love our neighbors as ourselves, so I think it’s no accident that our church is in this community.”
How Ball-Chatham is marking the anniversary
The Ball-Chatham District is encouraging all students and staff to wear “Chatham Strong” or red/black clothing as a symbol of unity and support on April 28.
A district-wide moment of silence will be observed during morning announcements and morning meetings.
School staff, including administrators, teachers and counselors, will be available to support students who may need additional care or connection. A therapy dog will be available in each school throughout the day to provide comfort.
The district is providing resources for students on grief and loss and posttraumatic stress, among other subjects.
“Our goal is to ensure that every student and staff member feels supported, cared for and connected on this day,” a release from the district stated.
Reaction from District 186
District 186 Superintendent Jennifer Gill said it was a tragedy that was “unthinkable.”
“Anytime we have something that dramatic happen so very close to our community, the trauma exists for all of us,” said Gill, following its April 20 board meeting. “My heart goes out to those who were affected, those who lost children or had children who were injured.”
Gill said she applauded Ball-Chatham Superintendent Becca Lamon for sharing with the district practices and protocols for reuniting with families.
“It’s something we all think about and worry about, how would we react in a serious situation?” Gill said.
Among the district’s connections with Chatham is Elizabeth Corley, the mother of “Kit” Corley, who is a speech/language pathologist. Corley has taught at Southern View and Graham elementary schools for the past several years.
Lamon’s husband, Ward Lamon, is the executive director for student support services for District 186.
Community events
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: ‘Never forget these children’: Vigil, day of kindness commemorate Chatham tragedy
Reporting by Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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