To help honor and memorialize the late Lisa Bergeleen, former Wessington Springs Elementary School educator and number one fan of the Spartans, Wessington Springs High School senior Taylor Braun hosted a fundraiser for a permanent memorial for Bergeleen.
And the event’s success exceeded anything Braun expected, thanks to the community’s generosity and the unique, Spartanthemed, handmade quilt donated by local woman Donna Grieve.
“I asked for donations of Spartan shirts from people in the community. I collected them for a month and ended up with 30 usable ones,” Braun explained. “Donna made this amazing quilt with those Spartan shirts from across the decades. It was auctioned off and the first time it went for $6,700. Then they put it back out to auction and it went for $1200 the second time. I never imagined it would go for so much.”
During the home doubleheader basketball game held on February 18, in addition to the quilt auction, Braun held various fundraisers including chuck-a-duck, pop-a-shot and a 50/50 drawing. She also sold Papa Murphy’s pizzas throughout the month which raised $1200.
Hilary Grohs served as Braun’s mentor and throughout the project, Braun said they both experienced an emotional roller coaster as they reflected on Bergeleen’s memory.
“We’d go from laughing to tearing up when we were planning the event,” Braun said.
The event also made an impact on Bergeleen’s family, who was in attendance.
“Our family is so honored and appreciative of the amazing event that Taylor planned for her senior experience,” said Bergeleen’s sister, Erin Yost. “Thank you Taylor for honoring Lisa and remembering her love of the Spartans. Thank you to the community for supporting Taylor’s project. She did an amazing job in honoring Lisa’s legacy of love and kindness!”
In addition to the memorial, funds will also be used toward summer sports camps for the Spartans. As for the memorial, Braun said the shadow box her dad, Todd, is making will house items that are symbolic of Bergeleen, her love of the Spartans and her “love big” way of living.
“My Dad is making a shadow box and we are getting a stadium chair, a Lisa shirt, a cool pair of shoes like she always had, as well as a plaque,” Braun explained. “It will go by the yellow chairs in the rec center. You always knew that if you went to a game and didn’t have anyone to sit by, you could always count on Lisa to hang out with and she would welcome you to sit by her. The memorial really symbolizes if you have no place to go, if you’re looking for a friend, Lisa will always be there to sit by.”