Laken Hope Riley Foundation to be establish in honor of Georgia nursing student
Laken Riley Memorial (Credit: GoFundMe)
ATHENS, Ga. - The father of Laken Riley says they plan to establish the Laken Hope Riley Foundation in her honor.
John Phillips posted to the GoFundMe account create in Riley's honor on Monday, which has collected nearly $142,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
His statement reads:
"On behalf of our entire family, we would like send out a heartfelt thank you for your donations and overwhelming support. Laken was an amazing daughter, sister, friend and overall person in general. Her love for the Lord was exemplified in every aspect of her life. She will be missed every day, but we promise to honor her life moving forward in a very big way. Every single dollar donated will go towards starting the Laken Hope Riley Foundation and will be used to drive homicide awareness and safety for women. Again, thank you for your kind support and we love you all!"
Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Augusta University, was killed Thursday at the University of Georgia.
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Laken Hope Riley. Photo courtesy of University of Augusta.
Kanaan Rogers, a fellow nursing student, organized the fundraiser to assist Riley's family with the expected funeral costs, establish a scholarship in her name and "raise homicide awareness."
Riley's life was cut short during a morning run near Lake Herrick on UGA's campus.
More than 3,600 donations have been made to honor the would-be 2025 graduate.