Stew-Stras Schools thanks community for support after deadly crash

STRASBURG, Ill. (WCIA) — The Stewardson-Strasburg School District is out with a new statement to thank the community for their support in a time of crisis.

Two weeks ago, three teenage girls lost their lives when the UTV they were driving collided with a grain hauler in rural Shelby County. Edie Wittenberg, Karly Wetherall and Sienna Bostedo were all incoming freshmen at Stew-Stras High School.

Their families have been adamant about not needing fundraising, but that didn’t stop the community from lending a hand.

Among other acts of charity, Crazy 8’s BBQ in Casey ran a “Lemon Shake Up” stand at EffingHAM-Jam just days after the deadly crash, operated by the Mattoon Pride Gilbert 14U softball team. The Teutopolis Volleyball Team hosted a memorial fundraiser lunch last week.

The love and support given to the three girls, their families and the school district did not go unnoticed. On Monday, the school district released the following statement on social media:

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU. We would like to thank everyone for everything you have done to provide as much love and support as possible over the last two weeks. The list of organizations, individuals, schools, etc. is just too long and overwhelming to even try to compile and we wouldn’t want to leave anyone out unintentionally. When something was needed, whether it was people, materials, or monetary, there was always more than needed that showed up. Whether we asked you, or in many cases you asked us, the love and support was there. That support still continues, and a lot of these resources will be utilized as we continue forward.

As we all grieved through this heart-wrenching tragedy, we know there is still a difficult road ahead. We will plan to put forth necessary efforts to continue to provide love and support to our students and staff as we enter a new school year.

While we all have our differences and worries throughout our day to day, moments like these make those worries a little less important, and make life a little more special. Enjoy your everyday, because everyday is a gift to us and in the end, we should all try to learn a little from these young ladies. We should all strive to live our lives the best we can. At the end of the day all we can do is laugh like Karly, love like Edie, and live like Sienna.

Stew-Stras Schools

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