When 15-year-old Brittany Groover was killed in a car accident in late 2002, her father, Tim Groover (civil engineering ’79, M.S. ’80), sought the comfort of family and friends.

Particularly significant was a gathering with family members Geb and David Broman and family friend Mick Gunter, whose mother, Karla Bolen, had also died in a car accident. “Geb, David, and Mick were talking about how devastating Brittany’s loss was,” explains Groover. “Compounding this was Mick’s realization that he had never felt a sense of healing after his mother’s death. The three of them realized that there must be lots of people feeling similar pain and they wondered what they could do to help our small group heal, as well as give others an opportunity to honor their lost loved ones.”

The result was the Angels Race Triathlon, an annual vent since 2003 in Lynchburg, Va., and now in Winston-Salem, N.C., Gunter’s hometown. Each race is dedicated to honoring the memory of participants’ family and friends, along with raising money for the Angels Foundation, which supports programs that encourage students, teachers, and organizations to be a positive force in children’s lives.

The foundation’s primary beneficiaries are the Brittany Groover Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Karla Bolen Memorial Fund, both of which promote educational opportunities. The Groover Fund provides financial support to church- and community-based youth camps and conferences and to selected graduating seniors from Jefferson Forest High School in Forest, Va., where Brittany was a sophomore at the time oh here death. The Bolen Fund awards grants to teacher to recognize excellence in the classroom and to enrich the existing curriculum.

Although the race organizers decided on a triathlon because of their own athletic pursuits, they didn’t plan on the event becoming a fundraiser. “The raising of money was far down the list when the race was first conceived,” says Groover. “If it broke even but had the right ‘feel,’ we’d keep doing it. If it raised tons of money but started to feel like just anther race, we’d stop immediately.” From the start, the Angels Race has undeniably had the right feel. In its inaugural year, it attracted some 100 participants and broke even. This year, the Lynchburg race in April drew nearly 400 participants and raised $7,500 for each fund and $2,000 for the YMCA.