Glenwood High School sophomore McKenzie Doe III was at track and field practice on the afternoon of April 28 when he saw helicopters flying overhead first to and then from YNOT Outdoors, an after-school program on North Breckenridge Road in Chatham.
When Doe later heard that four people–all students in the Ball-Chatham school district–had been killed after a vehicle struck several people outside of the facility before the vehicle crashed into and through the building, he admitted it was a lot to take in.
“I’m still in a lot of shock,” said Doe, part of a large crowd that gathered at Village Square Park for a candlelight vigil on April 29. “(To see so many students and other people show up) it means how valuable everybody views each other in this community.”
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Red ribbons and white flowers were tied around support structures of the park’s shelter area.
Fiona Corley, center, whose sister Kathryn Corley was one of the girls killed when a vehicle crashed into a crowd of people and into a building in Chatham on April 28, grieves with a friend Luca Piarceaol, left, during a candlelight vigil at Village Square Park in Chatham on April 29, 2025.
Later, some participating lit candles in memory of those killed in the crash: Ainsley Johnson, 8; Kathryn Corley, 7, and Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, all of Chatham, and Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield.
Before and after the service, put on by Chatham United Methodist Church and a number of clergy members from around the community, students could sign handmade crosses and hearts provided by the New Orleans-based Lutheran Church Charities.
The nonprofit organization also provided a number of comfort animals at the vigil.
Kristen Chiaro, a Village of Chatham trustee, said the idea of a vigil sprung up the evening of the crash while details got ironed out the next day.
More: ‘This unimaginable loss’: Village, school officials respond to crash that killed four students
People in times of crisis, Chiaro said, “want to know what they can do because you feel helpless and you feel like you need to do something, and people did.
Village of Chatham President Dave Kimsey speaks during a candlelight vigil at Village Square Park on April 29, 2025, for four girls killed on April 28 when the driver of a vehicle crashed into a crowd of people then into the YNOT Outdoors after-school building.
“It means that in times of crisis, all that matters is that we support one another. That is the only way to heal and move forward as a community.”
Rev. Miriam Snider, pastor of Chatham UMC, said for those who aren’t as closely connected to a family or a child affected, the immediacy of a tragedy will fade pretty quickly.
“But for families and individuals who have been incredibly impacted, their suffering and sorrow is going to last,” said Snider before the vigil. “It’s going to be days, weeks, months, even years and that can be incredibly isolating for persons.
“Our challenge is for our togetherness and our reminding one another that we’re not alone isn’t just for a short time, it has to be for the long haul because people need to know they’re not alone.”
Teammates of Alma Buhnerkempe came out to the park in their purple Sangamo United soccer jerseys.
Keelie Strawn, who helps out with the team, said it won its first 9-U tournament over the weekend in Moline and the Quad Cities, scoring 14 goals in first two games.
“Alma had a few of those goals and assists,” said Strawn, who described her as “a spitfire, always smiling and making everyone laugh.”
The team plans on making special jerseys honoring Buhnerkempe’s number 11.
More: Accessing local journalism is even easier with the State Journal-Register app
“It’s hard for all of our girls, especially at this age,” Strawn admitted. “They’re all taking it in differently. I think it’s going to take a little time for them to realize what’s going on.”
Village of Chatham President Dave Kimsey said what he has seen since the tragedy is community full of “with.”
“We’re with the families of those who have lost loved ones. We’re with the families and children that are fighting. We have been with our first responders, with our schools, with our community,” Kimsey noted.
“What has driven me and made this feel like my home and be the place that I wanted to represent and extol the virtues of Chatham, it shows up in the moments when we celebrate together. But the real strength of our community and the definition of what Chatham is and who we are shows up in the times of tragedy and the times of need and in the way everyone in the community finds their strength and finds their own way to provide a shoulder for a neighbor, an ear for a loved one and an open heart for those who need it the most.”
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; [email protected]; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Huge crowd in Chatham honors 4 victims of fatal crash at vigil
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