For the love of Chloe: Racing forward with heart

September 14, 2025

By La Crosse Community Foundation

Honoring Chloe Kay Eckelberg’s short but joyful life

When Jonathan and Amy Eckelberg talk about their daughter, Chloe, their voices are full of love — and purpose.

“She had crazy, fluffy hair that stood straight up,” Amy said. “Everyone remembers that about her. That, and her giggle.”

Chloe Kay Eckelberg was born in September 2019. Just nine months later, in June 2020, she died unexpectedly in her sleep. Her life was heartbreakingly short, but Chloe’s spirit — her joy, spark, love of blueberries, and bath time — left a lasting mark on her family and community.

“We didn’t want people to forget her,” Jon said. “We wanted to keep her memory alive in a way that would bring happiness.”

From heartbreak to helping others

And so the Chloe Kay Eckelberg Memorial Scholarship was born.

Established in 2020 and moved to La Crosse Area Community Foundation in 2022, the scholarship supports students pursuing post-secondary education who are involved with racing at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway, where Chloe had already made her first visit to see her dad race.

“She had just been to the racetrack two or three weeks before she died,” Amy said. “I have this memory of holding her as Jon came around the track, her wriggling in excitement to see him.”

A natural connection to racing

Racing runs deep in the Eckelberg family. Jon raced for years at La Crosse Speedway, along with his dad and sister. For more than three decades, it was a family tradition. Chloe was born into that world, and it felt only natural that the scholarship honoring her life should support others in the racing community.

“We were approached by our longtime sponsor, Features Sports Bar in West Salem, who asked what they could do to keep the memory of Chloe going,” Jon said. “They asked about doing a scholarship in her name. From there, the La Crosse Speedway and our race team helped get this scholarship fund off the ground, and it just took off.”

Annual fundraiser keeps Chloe’s memory alive

Every February, on the same day as the Daytona 500, Features and the Eckelberg Family host a fundraiser for the scholarship, complete with a silent auction (that draws dozens of donated baskets) and racing-themed activities. The event keeps growing — and so does the scholarship fund. So far, it has awarded about $30,000 to roughly 26 students.

What makes the scholarship unique is that it’s not based solely on academics. It’s open to high school seniors and current college students connected to La Crosse Speedway events, whether they race, work at the track, or help on a race team. The Eckelbergs encourage students studying an automotive or engineering field to apply, but it is not required.

“We didn’t have any expectations at first,” Amy said. “But the support has been incredible. One student’s dad came to the fundraiser to share how his daughter went into nursing after receiving the scholarship and now has a full-time job in her field.”

Still, managing the scholarship, especially in the early days of grief, wasn’t always easy.

How the foundation helped

“It can feel overwhelming,” Jon said. “We needed help navigating all the rules and getting the money out to students in the best way. That’s where La Crosse Area Community Foundation really helped. They made sure everything was done right and have made it easy for us.”

Beyond the scholarship, the Eckelbergs have carried Chloe’s memory forward in other ways. Each year around her birthday, they organize a giving project in her name: donating toys to children’s hospitals, supporting children’s museums, stocking food pantries, providing school supplies to those who need them, or raising funds for the zoo. It all falls under a movement they call #ChloeCheer, born from the family’s “Chloe cheer calls” during the pandemic — virtual hangouts with extended family to keep joy alive during uncertain times.

“#ChloeCheer is about spreading joy, especially to kids,” Amy said. “It’s what Chloe brought to us, and we want to share that.”

Talking about grief — and choosing joy

For Jon and Amy, the scholarship and the acts of kindness it inspires are part of their healing. But more than that, they are a way to keep talking about Chloe — and helping others do the same.

“When you lose a child, there’s this sense that people expect you to move on and stop talking about it,” Jon said. “But we didn’t want that. Talking about her, honoring her, doing good in her name: that helps. It helps us, and we hope it helps others, too.”

“Sometimes really hard things happen,” Amy said. “But you can still move forward without leaving them behind. You can carry them with you — in joy.”