Ashlee Sokalski Brraap Fund to Expand Into Charitable Gaming

The memorial fund honoring an amateur motocross racer from Chesterfield is on track to benefit from charitable gaming.

The township Board of Trustees approved the request Monday night for a charitable gaming license to be issued to the Ashlee Sokalski Brraap Fund. The motion advances the nonprofit's effort to help amateur motocross racers.

Fund members were required to get approval from the township before requesting approval in Lansing.

“We’re just trying to expand our efforts right now in hopes of getting more money for the fund,” Sokalski's stepfather and fund treasurer Nick Burgess told trustees at the meeting.

At age 19, Sokalski died in August 2010 from injuries sustained in a crash at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Tennessee during a national motocross event. She was the only female in the state to qualify for the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships, the largest amateur race in the world. Her dream was to go pro.

The gaming license will allow the organization to hold additional fundraisers, Sokalski’s sister Amanda Sokalski, who also serves on the organization’s board, said Monday afternoon. The organization is tentatively planning a charity poker event to take place Aug. 18-21 at Johnny G’s in Mount Clemens.

“We have already helped several families by providing safety equipment or financial support to those that have been injured,” Amanda Sokalski said prior to the meeting.

In addition to benefiting injured racers and their families, the fund provides scholarships to cover expenses for female racers who qualify for nationals at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch.

“It focuses mainly on amateur and women’s motocross racing,” Amanda Sokalski said. “We created this fund to promote the need for safety equipment and regulations in motocross.”

Sokalski’s mother, Tanya Burgess, a registered nurse, started the fund in October 2010 and serves as the organization’s president.

Beautification Week in Chesterfield

The board approved a request from the township’s Beautification Committee designating May 15-22 as Beautification Week in Chesterfield Township.

The committee hopes to encourage businesses and citizens “to participate in projects to enhance the beauty and improvement of the community they live and work in,” according to the resolution.

In an effort to keep the township “clean and green,” the Beautification Committee has planned various activities for each day of Beautification Week.

Residents who go to the township offices on Sugarbush Road between 2 and 4 p.m. on May 18 can receive a seedling from the Beautification Committee to plant at home.

Great Oaks Nature Savers Club Acknowledged

The Nature Savers Club led the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the meeting. Township Supervisor Michael Lovelock presented the group of students with a certificate of appreciation from the board.

The township’s Beautification Committee also presented the club with a certificate of appreciation for the group’s efforts in planting flowers, feeding wildlife and promoting a positive attitude toward nature.