Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Mother of Madison Faith Chatten, Sheena Hopstad-Lund (r) poses with her family Dylan Lund (l), husband Jacob Lund (l-c), daughter Charlee Lund (third from left), Bella Lund (third from right) and Ava Lund (r-c) in front of the memorial sign at the newly dedicated Madison Faith Chatten Playground at Sullivan Park.
Hank Hopstad (l) poses with Ava Lund (c) and Dylan Lund (r) on the newly dedicated Madison Faith Chatten Memorial Playground.
When Aaron Chatten passed away in a car accident in November 2010, he left his daughter, Madison's, legacy behind. Since that time a group of family, friends, supporters and community minded volunteers have worked to keep both Chatten's and his daughter's legacy alive and working in Glasgow.
On Friday, June 15, the Glasgow Recreation Department, under the supervision of Jory Casterline and with the support of the Madison Faith Chatten foundation, the city of Glasgow, area businesses and community members dedicated the Madison Faith Chatten Memorial Playground at Sullivan Park.
The playground was a direct community service fundraising effort from both the Aaron Chatten Memorial Softball Tournament and direct fundraising. According to Casterline and Brennar Flaaten, two individuals pivotal in orchestrating the playgrounds construction, this is the most direct community service provided from the softball tournament. "This is a step in the right direction to do more things for the community in the future," explained Flaaten adding, "This is something he [Chatten] would have wanted."
Madison Chatten was killed in a car accident at her daycare when she was just over a year old. Aaron Chatten took up the mantle of fighting for reforms to make cars more safe for children. Flaaten and Casterline described Chatten's efforts to prevent tragedies similar to his daughter's. Aaron Chatten had founded the Madison Faith Chatten foundation and had worked effortlessly to lobby for and raise awareness for child car safety. Directly, Chatten lobbied for rearview back-up cameras on cars and worked with the Kids in Cars Organization to testify in front of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Other initiatives funded by the Madison Faith Chatten Foundation include a donation to the Glasgow High School Trust to establish a scholarship in Madison's honor. Flaaten pointed out that community support has been instrumental in the success of the softball tournament and the foundation. "These events are only as successful as the business that support them."
The complete list of donors for the playground include: the city of Glasgow, Burlington Northern-Santa Fe, Theo and Alyce Beck Foundation, portions of the recreation budget, the Roy M. Nelson Fund and the Aaron Chatten Memorial Softball Tournament.
Reader Comments(0)