The friends and family of Dillon Adey have turned a personal tragedy into a public cause to support those in need.

On June 21 Adey, 21, was killed when his motorcycle ran into the back of an SUV on Tabor Boulevard near Otway Road. Since his death, friends and family have raised over $27,500 for a bursary fund in his name.

The bursary will support students in need at the College of New Caledonia, Adey's father Perry Adey said. Adey attended the college prior to taking a job with CN Rail.

"He was an old soul in a young body," Perry Adey said. "He was always helping people. If he saw a neighbour struggling to shovel the snow, he'd be the first one out there to help."

At 16 he began volunteering at the Evening of Pink, Perry Adey said.

"He was the only guy there, wearing a pink shirt. His friends stepped up this year in Dillon's honour, and they liked it," he said.

Adey got his first job at 14 and sometimes worked two or three jobs, Perry Adey said. He was studying business at CNC and hoped to one day open his own business.

"He bought his first house at 19 years old," Perry Adey said.

The scholarship will focus on students with Adey's passion for business, but will expand to other programs if funds allow, Perry Adey said.

"It'll be for students in need. There is a lot of kids who need help," he said. "I want it to be paid out every year. If we raise $40,000, there will be 40 $1,000 bursaries."

Local businesses, including the Tabor Sports Pub, have gotten behind the bursary, he said.

The Dillon Adey Bursary New Year's Bash will take place at The Horse (former Iron Horse Pub) and benefit the bursary fund. Tickets can be bought at the Tabor Sports Pub and Plush Spa and Hair Studio.

In addition, a memorial golf tournament to benefit the bursary is planned for June 18 next year, Perry Adey said.

On Nov. 2, which would have been Adey's 22nd birthday, CN Rail donated $5,000 to the Dillon Adey Bursary.

"As a company you get a lot of requests. What Perry is trying to do is something we support," CN Rail regional general manager Richard Miller said. "I'm glad we could do this one. The money we've put out will help to support people at the college and university level."