Classmates, friends of Dalton Cottrell hosting fundraiser this Sunday

​A bags tournament and free-will lunch will be held at Landes Park beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 25.
 
by J.O. Parker
 
     Friends and classmates of Dalton Cottrell remember his smile, his love of God and the effort he put into all he did in school and life.
     “Whatever he set out to do, he did it with God’s perspective in his mind,” said Tanner Jansen, a friend, neighbor and classmate at BGM High School. “He had the best interest of those around him.”
     “Dalton was the kind of guy that knew what he believed in and he would trust what he knew to get him through whatever was in his path,” added Kaiden Fiebelkorn, a friend and classmate.
     Cottrell, 22, died in a drowning accident while on his honeymoon near Crescent Beach on the northeast coast of Florida on Tuesday, July 30. He had just married Cheyenne (Pernice-Hedrick), a student at Faith Baptist Bible College, three days earlier on Saturday, July 27 at Eagle Heights Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo.
     According to news reports, the current pulled Cottrell out into deep waters. Lifeguards were there, but were unable to save him. 
     Cottrell, who grew up in Malcom, was a 2016 graduate of BGM High School. He was a pastoral training major at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny at the time of the accident. 
     The BGM Class of 2016 is hosting a Bags Tournament and Free-will Donation Lunch for the Cottrell family at Landes Park in Brooklyn on Sunday, Aug. 25. Lunch will be served at 1 p.m. with the bag tournament to follow at 2 p.m.
     The idea for the benefit came about when classmate Gabi Gunderson mentioned doing something for the Cottrell family in a chat with other BGM Class of 2016 members.
     “It was thought as a way we could give back to the family in Dalton’s memory, knowing the hardship they are having to endure,” said Fiebelkorn.
     Angela Slaymaker said Cottrell was a great friend who would try to help anyone with anything. 
    “When it came to homework, he’d  try to help the younger kids,” said Slaymaker. “He was a bit of a ham out on the basketball court. He will be missed greatly.”
     Fiebelkorn recalled once watching Cottrell try a new post move at basketball practice.
     “The smile on his face when he successfully did it was something you could see from miles away,” recalled Fiebelkorn. “He was always the hardest worker on the basketball court growing up and he never settled for less than his goal.”
     “Dalton was a great friend as he was always there to help,” noted Jansen. “He had a contagious smile and laugh that could light up a room. He was always positive in every situation he faced.”
Stacie Oswood Fiebelkon, a sixth grader teacher at BGM and mother to Kaiden, said Cottrell was a great kid and hard worker.
     “I was very inspired by his strong faith in God,” she said.

Bags Tournament

​     The cost is $20 per team with all donations going to the Cottrell family. Please enter before Friday, Aug. 23 to Kaiden Fiebelkorn at 641-990-9740. 
     “I think it will be a fantastic way to bring the community and our class together to enjoy an afternoon of fun while remembering the life of Dalton,” noted Fiebelkorn. “In either a direct or indirect way, Dalton has had a positive impact on all of us and we would like to help in any way we can.”