Justin Shilling's family starts conservation fund in memory of Oxford High School shooting victim
Justin Shilling loved being outdoors.
OXFORD, Mich. (FOX 2) - A new fund will support conservation efforts in honor of Justin Shilling, one of four teens killed in the 2021 Oxford High School shooting.
Shilling's family created the "For the Love of Nature Fund...The Forever Justin Shilling Foundation" with Four County Community Foundation.
His family said he loved being outdoors. He could often be found golfing, playing baseball, going on nature walks, rock hunting for Petoskey stones in Lake Huron with his siblings, hunting with his dad, fishing, camping, climbing the dunes of Lake Michigan, and hammocking.
"I feel Justin in every sunrise, in every flower and every majestic tree," Shilling's mother Jill Soave said. "He loved all of God’s creation, great and small. He had a connection with nature."
Justin Shilling would have been Oxford shooter's friend if he had only asked, his mom says
When Justin Shilling was murdered inside of Oxford High School in November 2021, he was killed while protecting another student. His mom, Jill Soave, says that was exactly what she would have expected from her son and that he was a kind soul who wanted to help and protect others.
Soave said she hopes the fund will help the environment by planting trees in her son's name, hosting local clean-up events and supporting clean water and air initiatives, particularly those related to the Great Lakes. She also wants the community to be involved, and plans are being made for a May 2024 Walk-A-Thon event on the Polly Ann Trail.
"Protecting the environment was personal to him and I think he would really be proud with these types of projects," she said.
Donate to the fund here or by sending a check to the Four County Community Foundation at PO Box 539, Almont, MI 48003.