Dillon Adey was the kind of person who'd help out anyone at the drop of a hat. It didn't matter if he knew you or not.
He loved the outdoors - hiking, fishing, snowboarding and riding his ATV. He played hockey, golf and boxed.
He loved bugging his little sister Bree.
He loved his friends and family.
"He liked exciting things, he was the first one down the ski hill," said David Mothus, one of Dillon's best buddies. "He liked life to be exciting and fast, and taking risks. If he was your friend, you loved him. He was passionate and caring. Dillon would tell you he loved you and there weren't many guys like that. He was full of life."
Lives changed forever
June 1, 2009 is a day Perry and Cindy Adey will never forget.
Their son Dillon was riding his 2006 Suzuki 750 motorcycle northbound on Tabor Blvd., approaching Otway Road, when police said he ran into the back of a 2007 Hyundai Sonata.
Dillon, 21 years-old at the time, died in the collision which occurred right in front of his house on Tabor Blvd., a place where he'd only lived in for two years.
Police said speed was a factor in the crash. The driver of the Sonata was uninjured.
Perry and Cindy received the horrible news shortly after the crash occurred at 4:30 p.m.
"I remember his smile and hugs," said dad Perry recently in the Adey's family living room in Prince George's Heritage neighbourhood. "[I remember his] dancing. His big heart. His willingness to help others."
But through the pain and tears of losing a son and brother - a parent's worst nightmare - Perry, Cindy and Bree, who's two years younger than Dillon, have created a long-lasting legacy in Dillon's memory, one that's even exceeded their expectations.
Making a difference
At his celebration of life a week after his death on June 6, 2009 at Blackburn Community Hall, 600 people showed up.
Donations came pouring in. From family. From friends. From people who didn't even know Dillon.
Friends presented Perry, Cindy and Bree with a golf trophy. The idea of organizing a tournament in Dillon's memory and creating a student bursary was hatched.
"He wanted to become a business owner and this bursary is a way to help people become business owners," said Mothus.
But even before anyone teed off at Aberdeen Glen Golf Course a year later, more than $40,000 was raised in the first six months following Dillon's death.
Some donors knew him or his family. Others were anonymous.
One such person is someone whom Perry will never forget.
"One old guy whom we didn't know, called to say he had to donate because Dillon helped him shovel his walk driveway three or four years before [he died]. That's the type of guy Dillon was. This guy was on his pension and he gave a donation."
The Dillon Adey Memorial Endowment bursary for business students and the annual bursary for health sciences students were soon established at the College of New Caledonia. Dillon was a CNC student who worked three jobs at the same time.
(An endowment is an ongoing fund in which only the interest earned is used annually for the intended purpose. A bursary is different than a scholarship in that it's intended to help people attend school who could not otherwise afford it.) Proceeds from the golf tournament support the bursary.
The community rallied in Dillon's memory and so far, $100,000 has been raised.
A Halloween party, Corona Nights, and a New Year's party at the now former Tabor Pub were held in 2009 as fundraisers for the bursary.
The pub was one of Dillon's favourite watering holes, a place he used to go and have a bite to eat before heading home from his job at CN Rail. He was also a DJ at the Entertainment Group.
The Tabor Pub owners donated 75 cents from the sale of every Corona to the bursary fund.
"He had three jobs while he was going to school," said Perry. "He was never afraid of hard work. He liked to help out anyone where he could."
When Dillon was 17, he volunteered for the Evening of Pink, a local fundraiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. He asked his mom for a pink shirt and tie.
In June 2010 on the day before Father's Day, 144 friends and family, clad in baby blue golf shirts (baby blue was Dillon's favourite colour) gathered at Aberdeen Glen to remember and celebrate Dillon in a mixed four-ball scramble event.
Welcome to the Dillon Adey Memorial Cup Golf tournament, read the sign in front of the clubhouse.
By the end of the day, amidst tears and laughter on the greens and later at the dinner and silent auction at the Treasure Cove hotel, $10,000 was raised for student bursaries at CNC.
It's grown ever since.
The 2011 tournament netted $12,000, and in 2012 and 2013, it soared to more than $17,000 at each of the tournaments.
The 2014 tourney, slated for this Saturday, is expected to be just as successful.
The community has chipped in as hole sponsors and donated items to the silent auction.
The Toronto Blue Jays have stepped up to the plate every year since the inaugural tournament in 2010, providing an autographed baseball and bat for the silent auction. This year, the major league team sent a baseball signed by relief pitcher Dustin McGowan and an autographed shirt by left-fielder Melky Cabrera.
"I'm amazed at how many continuous sponsors there are every year," said Perry. "We have a $400 item for the silent auction because they [the business] thought $300 wasn't enough. We have hole sponsors from Quesnel too this year. My nephew works for Purolator. I know a lot of donors too and Rosenau [Transport] has been a great company to work for."
Perry, a driver for Rosenau, along with Cindy and Bree, begin in March meeting with potential and long-time donors collecting donations.
It's never a problem finding participants to play - it sells out every year and there's a waiting list.
"I have so many people tell me it's the most fun tournament they ever played in," said Perry. "There's very little turnover from year to year."
So far, 25 awards ranging from $500 to $1,500 have been given to students in the college's business and health sciences programs.
"The requirements to receive the bursary are that they have to volunteer while they study and stay in the region after they graduate," said Perry.
"It's a regional bursary and there have been students from [CNC] Quesnel who've received it. One of Dillon's recipients is now working at the Quesnel hospital."
The region Perry is referring to stretches from Prince Rupert in the west all the way to McBride and Valemount to the east and from Fort St. John and Dawson Creek in the north to 100 Mile House and Bella Coola in the south.
The Adey's have expanded their support from not only bursaries, but to buying equipment for 17 different programs at the college ranging from trades, early childhood education to nursing and dental.
The funds have come out of the proceeds from the golf tournament.
"He was all about helping people and now his family and friends carry on that passion for him," said CNC fundraiser and alumni co-cordinator Bonnie Mercedes. "The Adey family continues to work tireless to increase funds that will help many deserving CNC students pursue their dreams."
Dillon's name is on the equipment that's purchased, including heart-shaped plaques on skeletons used by the human kinetics and nursing students.
In addition to these awards, the family has also assisted two teen moms in Continuing Education courses, by donating a couple of bursaries.
"I'm blown away at how much was raised," said Perry. "Our original goal was $50,000. Seeing Dillon's name all over CNC, it's a great legacy."
And as long as the demand is there to continue with the golf tournament, the Adey's will continue to fundraise and they're grateful for the support.
"It just shows how good the community is and why we continue to live here," said Perry. "It's a community with a big heart, like Dillon. He had a good upbringing and the community had something to do with it."
Life goes on
Five years later, Perry and Cindy are grandparents - Bree has a six-month-old daughter, Esmeralda.
On the anniversary of Dillon's death, they gather in the Adey family home in the Heritage neighbourhood.
Friends and family come over for a barbecue. They write messages for Dillon on pieces of paper and place them inside helium balloons before releasing them into the sky from the front yard.
"It never gets easier [thinking about Dillon]," said mom Cindy. "We miss him so much. We love him so much. It's a tough time of year."
Family advocates for tougher licensing laws
While the legacy to help students continues, the Adey's would like to see tougher restrictions on motorcycle licensing laws in B.C.
Dillon had purchased the bike, known as a crotch rocket, in the summer of 2008. He had plans to sell it the day he died, June 1, 2009. Police said Dillon's fatal crash was a result of speed.
Changing the law is something they've been working on since 2009 with Denise Lodge from Kitimat. Her son Corey died in a motorcycle accident on Vancouver Island less than 24 hours after buying his bike.
"If you can't reach the footpegs on the bike, you shouldn't ride," he said. "I'd like to see a restriction on the size of bike you get on as a first-time rider. Dillon was on a 'crotch rocket' that could clock out at over 300 km/h. You should have a few years experience before you jump on a bike with that power, especially for first-time riders. You can get your motorcycle license before you even get your L [learner's permit] or N [new driver designation]."
The Adeys have met with Prince George Valemount MLA Shirley Bond and Prince George Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris, but they've reached a stalemate, said Perry.
Motorcyle safety remains a priority, said the B.C. Ministry of Justice in a statement to the Citizen, adding the province is concerned about the safety of all road users in B.C. including new motorcycle riders.
"The province has taken steps already, bringing in stringent regulations for motorcycle helmets and seating requirements," said the Justice Ministry. "Motorcycle safety remains a priority of the Ministry of Justice. However, analysis conducted by ministry staff indicates that substantial changes to technology and business processes are required. As with the introduction of any complex new project, these changes are significant and will take time to develop, and there are currently no definite timelines for completion."
The government added motorcycle fatalities have been trending downward over the past five years, with 2012 showing the lowest number of motorcycle fatalities in more than 15 years.
"However, motorcyclists remain over-represented in road trauma statistics," stated the ministry. "They make up three per cent of B.C.'s road users, yet they are involved in approximately 11 per cent of all road fatalities. That is why in 2012, we made changes that increased the standards for motorcycle helmet and seating safety in B.C."
