Susan and Chad Chance have turned heartbreak into hope for so many through the Friends of Vail.
The organization had its annual dinner and auction on Nov. 12, with scenes from “The Little Red Crayon,” the newest book from Vail Johnson and her co-author Ed Payne, spread throughout the room.
“It’s like a room full of my family,” Susan said. “Most of these people knew her, but if they didn’t know her, they know her through her writing and that was the whole idea behind publishing her books and doing this, and it’s just like a big family coming together.”
Chad echoed that. “It’s great people; it’s a great night celebrating a great kid,” he said. “We’re just super happy to be her parents. Her legacy lives on.”
Vail died on Aug. 31, 2016, as a 9-year-old because of an undiagnosed condition called myocarditis.
“She has been gone now as long as we had her here on Earth,” Susan said to the crowd.
It was her dream to be a writer, and her parents and Payne have worked together “from the beginning,” Susan said, to make that dream a reality with her six published books.
“As many books as we have and he wants to do it, we’re going to keep doing it,” Susan said. “It was her dream.”
Payne and the illustrator Adrian DKC begin with something Vail wrote and pictures she drew to craft the books.
“I know what story I’m starting to work with, because it’s based on something Vail wrote when she was between 6 and 9 years of age,” Payne said. “I never know what the inspiration is going to be, exactly.”
He said it took him years to figure out the way “to reimagine” the story he started from.
“It’s a good story that has to do with redemption,” Payne said.
Because books mattered so much to Vail, the Friends of Vail have made it their mission to support literacy.
An example of such an investment sat in front of The Springs Events venue: The Book Bus.
The mobile library creates a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for the kids to explore literacy, which is precisely what founder Lia Carta had in mind.
“A lot of libraries are kind of becoming sterile and not fun,” she said. “And so, we really wanted to create an experience that encourages kids to read, and that’s really important to us.”
The nonprofit gave $75,000 to finish out the bus.
“Y’all raised money for us to complete the most beautiful bus,” she said. “… I believe that it aligns so much with who Vail was. I feel like we truly are friends of Vail. … She’s sprinkled throughout that bus.”
Faith was also a pillar of Vail’s life, and with that in mind, the Friends of Vail has worked with DIRECTION61:3, a faithbased organization that supports foster children as they age out of the system to prepare for their lives as adults.
The Chances also shared other organizations and efforts the nonprofit has supported with the money it raised in 2024: CASA of Denton County; the Pilot Point Elementary School outdoor classroom; the Pilot Point Educational Foundation; the Pilot Point Community Arts Program; New Hope Initiative in Nairobi, Kenya; and additional scholarships and endowments.
“It’s just incredible what [they’ve] been able to do out of such a tragedy,” Pilot Point Community Art Program board member Justine Scott said. “To be able to bring the community together like this, to celebrate Vail and do so much good in the world is phenomenal.”
Stacy Kuhn agreed.
“I’m so proud of what they’ve done; what they’ve done is amazing,” she said. “It’s sad, but at the same time, it’s beautiful.”
The horse world was also one to which Vail belonged, and so Friends of Vail supports the kids in that arena as well.
The organization also raised money to honor Vail’s vet, Dr. Ty Wallis, who died unexpectedly in 2022, by endowing a scholarship for a Texas A&M University veterinary student to have a full ride.
Long Meadow Arabians’ co-owner Dennis Clark, who spoke on behalf of the endowment, described Wallis as “one of the finest equine veterinarians who I’ve ever known.”
He also shared how the scholarship fund is helping a current veterinary student at A&M.
The event supporters who turned out were a mixture of people who knew Vail personally to people who know her legacy only, ranging from Pilot Point, Aubrey, Tioga and beyond.
“Everything they say about her is true,” said Ashley Harpool, a longtime friend of the Chances who knew and loved Vail. “… You just knew you were in the presence of someone special.”
Kristi Ballard, who teaches at Pilot Point Elementary School, didn’t have the privilege of teaching Vail, she said, but she has seen her impact firsthand.
“They don’t have any idea who she is, but yet they bring her to life and they keep her legacy going,” she said. “I just think it’s amazing that she wrote all of these stories and that they do what they do to help keep it going and pay it forward, and I think it’s the most amazing thing. … I feel like I know her.”
The proceeds of the dinner and auction totaled more than $200,000, Susan said a week after the event.
For more information about the Friends of Vail Foundation, visit friendsofvail. com.
