Chatley to receive One Love's 'Unsung Hero' honor

Fredonia junior swimmer Ben Chatley of Sanborn will be recognized in April by The One Love Foundation as the recipient of its Campus Unsung Hero Award.

Ben Chatley being interviewed by WGRZ-TV's Ron Plants

Chatley will receive the award April 19 in New York City for his role in 10 Million Yards for Yeardley, a week-long initiative to raise awareness of domestic violence and relationship abuse on college campuses. The inaugural event will be held April 24-29 at Fredonia and the other nine SUNYAC campuses.

Fredonia Associate Director of Athletics Megan Valentine noted, "Ben has contributed significantly to the SUNYAC and Fredonia's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee this past year, and he has intentionally gone above and beyond to train student-athletes about relationship violence and its prevention here at Fredonia."

The award notification to Chatley came from Sharon Love, the mother of Yeardley Love, the University of Virginia women's lacrosse player who was murdered by an ex-boyfriend in 2010. Mrs. Love is co-founder of The One Love Foundation, while Katie Hood serves as its chief executive officer.

"The One Love Campus Unsung Hero Award," the women wrote, "recognizes students and academic communities that have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to bringing the issues of relationship abuse into the light on their college campuses. We are enormously grateful for the work you have done to expand One Love's movement within the State University of New York."

In the letter to Chatley, they later went on to say: "One Love exists because Yeardley Love died, and her death was avoidable. Today, One Love and student leaders like yourself work to make sure that others have the information that Yeardley and her family and friends did not have."

A graduate of Starpoint High School, Chatley is a double major in Social Studies Adolescence Education and History. He is a two-year member of the Blue Devil men's swimming and diving team and made Third Team All-SUNYAC during the 2016-17 season. He is president of the Fredonia Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, SAAC member to the Fredonia Student Cabinet, and a student representative for the State University of New York Athletic Conference at the national SAAC meeting.

Chatley also serves as head lifeguard at the Steele Hall Natatorium and a high school baseball umpire. He is the son of Eileen and John Chatley.