Three years ago, the family of Officer Will McGary received devastating news. McGary, who had been an officer with the Conway Police Department for just less than two years, was injured while on duty and died the next day as a result of his injuries. Since then, his family and friends have established an organization that performs good deeds in his name, turning bereavement into benevolence.
McGary, who grew up in Searcy, was directing traffic at the intersection of Dave Ward Drive and Exchange Avenue in Conway on Jan. 31, 2013, when an impaired driver struck McGary.
“Will was only 26 years old when he was killed, but the legacy he established in his life was incredible,” said Robbi Kulik, a volunteer with the Officer Will McGary Memorial Foundation. “He made a real impact. … You don’t understand why anyone has to go, but he’s one that really stands out as a loss.”
Kulik is McGary’s mother’s best friend, and the foundation has given Kulik a way to support her friend’s family while making an impact on the community.
“I was looking for a way to donate time,” she said. “I felt drawn to what the foundation was trying to do. It’s a good platform for doing good. … We look for ways to do good in Will’s name and in God’s glory.”
Members of the Officer Will McGary Memorial Foundation work to carry out good deeds and support the community in McGary’s name. They have donated food and blankets to the Humane Society of Searcy, established a memorial award at Searcy High School and supported law enforcement officers whenever possible.
“The foundation’s main focus is to help out law enforcement officers,” Kulik said, noting that some of the organization’s goals are to provide equipment, training and counseling to officers.
As a part of this focus, the foundation has purchased an ice machine for the Conway Police Department and ensured that some officers got the counseling they needed to work through their grief.
“We’ve been able to send a few officers who were Will’s brothers to Washington, D.C., because they have those classes [in working through grief] there,” Kulik said.
Aside from the law enforcement focus, the foundation has taken on other projects to honor McGary. At Searcy High School, the Will McGary Memorial Award is given to a senior each year who displays the same leadership qualities and character traits that McGary had.
“Will had a strong desire to be a role model for young people,” Kulik said. “We want to encourage youth and impress them in a positive way. He had a servant’s heart, and the recipients [of the award] would be great examples going forward.”
Because McGary was an organ donor, the foundation promotes organ donation. At last year’s Officer Will McGary Memorial Foundation Car Show, which the organization holds each fall, a special guest drove home the importance of organ donation.
“The recipient of Will’s heart was able to come to the car show this year,” Kulik said. “He’s doing great.”
On a smaller scale, the foundation donates to the Humane Society of Searcy, something Kulik said McGary would appreciate.
“Will loved animals,” she said. “We just like to do what we can and try to make something good out of a terrible tragedy.”
The foundation’s website, www.willmcgaryfoundation.org, is expected to be live at the beginning of February. The site will include ways to donate to and get involved with the foundation. The Officer Will McGary Memorial Foundation also has a Facebook page, which can be found at www.facebook.com/willmcgaryfoundation.org.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.