VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The holidays can be tough for Trey Faulkner's family.
“We’re all looking forward,” Faulkner said. “It can be challenging when you wake up and realize that John’s not going to be here with us on Christmas morning this year.”
It's been about 14 months since his brother-in-law, John Hefti, was killed in a crash in Virginia Beach.
Ronald Dozier has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and has an upcoming court appearance this Friday in Virginia Beach.
For Faulkner, their friendship was forged on a Navy ship and evolved into family through marriage, and on the baseball field.
Hefti, a longtime Navy veteran, was a beloved coach with the Great Neck Baseball League for many years.
“He really was just a wonderful person to know and to be around,” Faulkner said.
After his death, "Bag" as he was known by family and friends became a symbol to rally around.
Earlier this year, Hefti’s team won a tournament eight months after his death.
Meanwhile Hefti’s family, following his death, began paying it forward by raising money for a scholarship fund named for the beloved coach.
The Capt. John “Bag” Hefti United States Navy Memorial Scholarship Fund will honor student-athletes in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.
According to Faulkner, there will be two $8,000 scholarships open next spring.
One will be for a student-athlete from Woodbridge High School (Hefti’s alma mater), and another from Cox High School, First Colonial High School, or Kellam High School.
Faulkner told News 3 this will honor student-athletes excelling on the field, in the classroom, and in their community.
“This was an opportunity for the family to preserve John’s legacy, to spread the word about who he was, and to hopefully inspire other people to live up to the example that he set,” Faulkner said.
Throughout the past 14 months, Hefti’s family and others have raised about $170,000 for the fund.
And, it's not just for scholarships. Hefti’s family is also using some of the money to improve baseball fields where he coached for many years. One example is putting in a new scoreboard on one of the fields next year.
“We know that there are a lot of other people who need the money more than we do,” Faulkner said.
Meanwhile, Hefti's family is hoping the season of giving will be a crucial inning in the game of giving back to Hampton Roads.
Their plan is the scholarships and support for local youth sports leagues and facilities will
be around for years to come.
“Our focus is where it should be which is on John, and letting people know what a great person he was, rather than focusing on the tragedy of what happened,” Faulkner said.
Faulkner said they're looking at possibly expanding the local scholarship out to other schools and cities in Hampton Roads eventually later down the road.
Faulkner also mentioned there are opportunities to donate to the scholarship fund, and to donate time to raise awareness with their fundraising team, Bags Buddies.
The group is also looking to partner with Hampton Roads youth sports leagues in need, and to help improve access for children to youth sports.
