Family of Girl Scout killed in western Wisconsin crash continues helping community

Eric Chaloux

[anvplayer video=”4921438″ station=”998122″]

Outgoing, loving and sweet are just a few of the many words Jayna Kelley's family use to describe their daughter who was killed back in 2018 when a truck drove off the road and fatally struck the Girl Scout.

Nine-year-old Kelley, 10-year-old Autumn Helgeson, 10-year-old Haylee Hickle and her mother, 32-year-old Sara Jo Schneider, were killed in the crash while their Girl Scout troop picked up litter during a roadside cleanup project in Chippewa County, Wisconsin.

"Jayna was taken at a young age — she didn't get to do a lot of the things we were hoping for to do in her life, we wanted her to be remembered," said Jayna's father, Brian Kelley.

A group of family and friends just launched the Jayna Kelley Memorial Foundation website on Wednesday, which was also her birthday.

"She had a really caring personality and wanted to help kids especially," Kelley said. "That's the direction we are going, we want to help kids."

[Jayna Kelley Memorial Foundation]

The foundation's mission is to provide funds to six charities in western Wisconsin and down in Rochester during their first year.

While Jayna was on this Earth for nine short years, Kelley said he hopes her spirit will live on forever in the foundation.

"Someone said something to me when Jayna passed away that really hit me … people basically die twice … they die when their body fails on earth and die when people forget their name,” Kelley said. “I don't want Jayna's name to be forgotten."