Cameron Chana’s smile could brighten the day of those around him. His volunteer work brightened the lives of those less fortunate than himself, a local educator recalled recently.

“Even though it has been four years since his graduation, I can still recall what a genuinely nice boy Cameron was and how when he flashed his smile, it would brighten my day,” said Eileen Orgo, guidance counselor at Hinsdale Central High School.

Chana, 22, a Clarendon Hills resident and 2005 graduate of Hinsdale Central High School, died early Sunday, May 31, following a bus mishap in Mattoon.

“When we heard the news, it was very shocking, very sad,” Orgo said.

Chana volunteered at a local hospital and was part of a group that helped the homeless in Chicago, Orgo said.

“He just always wanted to help others,” she said.

Clarendon Hills Middle School Principal Griffin Sonntag said the tragedy has united the Clarendon Hills community.

“While driving around the community, you may notice red ribbons tied to trees. These ribbons are in remembrance of Cameron, and they are a tribute to the positive impressions and many good things he represented during his time with us,” Sonntag said in a release issued Wednesday, June 3, through the CHMS Parent Teacher Organization’s Web site.

Chana attended the middle school before graduating from Hinsdale Central, Sonntag said.
Orgo said Chana had just graduated from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston and was preparing to begin working on obtaining a master’s degree in business administration.

At about 7:20 p.m. Saturday, May 30, Chana and some people from EIU were riding in a double-decker bus following an excursion to Lake Shelbyville west of Mattoon.

Chana was standing up in the upper, open-air level of the bus when the bus attempted to pass under an overpass on Illinois Highway 16 as it returned to Charleston.

Chana and Justin Sleezer, 22, of Yorkville died from traumatic head injuries suffered when they struck their heads on the overpass, according to the Champaign County coroner’s office.

Chana was pronounced dead at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday, May 31, at the Carle Foundation Hospital Surgical Intensive care unit. Sleezer was pronounced dead at 2:15 a.m., the coroner’s office said.

The Champaign County coroner’s office and the Mattoon Police Department continue to investigate the accident.

Funeral services were scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, June 5, in the sanctuary of Christ Church of Oak Brook, 31st Street and York Road.