A new softball complex to honor Ashley

After many years of fundraising and hard work, the new Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex has opened, to honor Ashley’s life and her passion for softball. Thanks to the support of associations, local businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals in Brandon and the surrounding areas, the new softball complex includes four full-sized diamonds and four mini-diamonds for youth ages 4-12, a canteen, and washrooms. Over 500 people attended to celebrate its opening and honor Ashley, who is deeply loved and missed. The opening ceremony included a doubleheader featuring the Dickinson Blue Hawks versus the Mayville Comets.

A field to play and remember

Ashley’s parents Phil and Bev also constructed a granite memorial monument at the entry of the field in which a portion of Ashley’s ashes will remain. resqme, Inc.’s President Laurent Colasse promised them while he came and visited them in September 2015 that the resqme foundation will show its support for this project by donating the monument.

Eight years ago, Ashley Neufeld, 21, and two of her teammates, Kyrstin Gemar and Afton Williamson went on a late-night stargazing adventure in an SUV crashed into a farm pond in Stark County, North Dakota. Tragically, Ashley and her friends were unable to escape when the car became submerged in water and never returned from their adventure.

The Ashley Neufeld Memorial Fund, was originally founded by Ashley’s family members to make sure that no other parents will lose their child because of a drowning vehicle, so they thought the resqme® tool was a perfect fit for fundraising efforts because of its reliability and commitment to saving lives. Thus, the “Ashley tool” was born—a resqme® device bearing Ashley Neufeld’s name. Since the resqme foundation and the Ashley Neufeld Fund began their partnership, over 7,000 resqme® tools have been sold and over $520,000 has been raised in Ashley’s memory.

Most importantly, the Ashley Neufeld resqme® tool is saving lives and rapidly became the safety symbol for an entire community. The “Ashley resqme® Tool” has already been used in numerous incidents of vehicle entrapment in Ashley’s home of Province of Manitoba and has saved several lives.

We, at the resqme foundation, are grateful to help make a difference in others’ lives by making them safer on and off road. In honor of the eighth anniversary of Ashley’s tragic accident, we hope to continue to raise awareness about car safety and vehicle entrapment.

Find all the pictures of the event here.