Friends Take Up Cause of 'Precious Petits'

Sept. 26, 2007 — -- More than 1,700 people gathered at the Cheshire High School football field in Cheshire, Conn., last week for a memorial service for Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters Hayley and Michaela, who were killed during a home invasion in July.

Those who attended were joined in grief, but also in love and hope for the future.

Grieving husband and father Dr. William Petit Jr., the sole survivor of the attack, spoke about his great love for his family.

"I still turn to ask Jennifer if she remembers the day, but she's not there," Petit told the crowd. "I turn to ask Hayley how her French class went and how crew practice was and she's not there. I turn to hug KK Rosebud and ask her if they finally served something that she likes for lunch and if the boys behaved in gym class that day but she's not there. What remains is me."

The service was one step on a journey of healing in the aftermath of unimaginable tragedy.

During the tragic home invasion two months ago, the family was held hostage for hours by two career criminals before their house was set on fire. William Petit barely made it out alive.

"What made Jennifer, Hayley and Michaela so unique was their love, their love of people, their love of life and their love of doing whatever they could for others," said The Rev. Stephen Volpe, the family's pastor.

The Cheshire community is ready to continue those acts of kindness by working for causes that the Petits were passionate about.

Hayley, 17, had received awards for her work raising money for multiple sclerosis, a cause she took up eight years ago when her mother was diagnosed with the disease. She raised over $50,000 in MS walk-a-thons, and 11-year-old Michaela was planning on following her big sister's footsteps this year.

In their name and spirit, three of their friends started a group called "The Precious Petits" to raise money for MS in honor of the young women they loved. "They just touched our lives so much and we wanted to give back a little bit of what they gave to us," said friend Jamie Erickson.