'She was making people happy wherever she was': Friends of crash victims rally for their families
A fatal two-car collision last week robbed the world of what friends describe as a “shining light.”
“She was amazing. She was nice, and I know that she was making other people happy wherever she was,” said Cohen McQueen, one of the organizers of a fundraiser for family of Chloe MacKenzie who died in the crash, and Jacob Cloney, who is still in hospital with serious injuries from the accident.
“He’s one of the nicest dudes I’ve ever known,” said Marshall Tessier of his longtime friend.
The group of friends are still dealing with the grief of the accident which occurred on Bostwick Road between Southdale and Wharncliffe roads on Feb. 1.
It is difficult, but the group of friends instantly wanted to support both of the families that are dealing with the aftermath.
“You want to be there as much as possible, but you also don't want to overstep anything or put any more like harm on the families that they're already dealing with stuff, you don't want to overwhelm them at all,” said McQueen.
The area of Bostwick Road and Wharncliffe Road South in London, Ont. remain closed on Feb. 1, 2023 as police respond to a serious evening collision. (Jenn Basa/CTV News London)A GoFundMe campaign was started to help the families deal with any financial implications that come with tragedy — and it quickly exceeded expectations.
“It was every hour, not even like, we'd be like, ‘Oh, we're at our new goal. Another thousand [dollars], another thousand [dollars],’” recalled Tessier.
At the time of publication, the GoFundMe has raised more than $21,000.
This Friday, they have planned a hockey fundraiser set to begin at 10:30 a.m., with pick up hockey games at Brookeside Arena, and a raffle of prizes that have been donated. The funds raised will be going to the families.
“If they still want to come and support, there's going to be a ton of raffle items that are going to go off and they’re great items, to be honest,” said McQueen.
Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis lives down the street from the Cloney family. He knows Jacob well, and met Chloe when their group of friends hung out with his nephew. He’s proud of the way the group of friends has banded together.
“They've surrounded each other, lifted each other up, talking through how they're feeling and taking this situation and not knowing what else to do,” he said. “Putting into action by helping raise funds to support the families through what's obviously a terrible time.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Ottawa gives final approval for Rogers $26B purchase of Shaw
Rogers Communications Inc's $26-billion takeover of Shaw Communications Inc. cleared the last regulatory hurdle Friday, more than two years after the deal was first announced.

Deceased found in St. Lawrence River were trying to cross U.S. border: police
The six people whose bodies were recovered from the St. Lawrence River Thursday consisted of two families of Romania and Indian origins who were likely trying to enter the U.S. illegally, police said Friday.
Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-president charged with crime
Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.
These are the conditions -- and penalties if violated -- of the Rogers-Shaw deal
Canadian Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne has approved Rogers Communications Inc.'s $20-billion takeover of rival telecom Shaw Communications Inc., but there are conditions attached and penalties of up to $1 billion if the companies violate them.
Syphilis cases in babies skyrocket in Canada amid health-care failures
The numbers of babies born with syphilis in Canada are rising at a far faster rate than recorded in the United States or Europe, an increase public health experts said is driven by increased methamphetamine use and lack of access to the public health system for Indigenous people.
BREAKING | Oscar Pistorius denied parole as Reeva Steenkamp's parents oppose his early release
Disgraced South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been denied parole, the lawyer for Reeva Steenkamp's parents said after the parole hearing.
House abandoned by couple who 'disappeared' years ago nightmare for neighbour on upscale street
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole not seeking re-election, leaving this spring
Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole says he will not seek re-election and plans to resign his seat this spring. The Ontario MP led the Conservatives and served as official Opposition leader from August 2020 until February 2022, when a majority of his caucus voted to remove him from the post.
Trump's indictment in New York: Here's what to know
The vote of a Manhattan grand jury to indict the Republican former president on charges related to hush money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign catapults the now-candidate Donald Trump into a new era of legal risk and complicates his attempts to return to the White House.