It's been almost a year since Dr. William Petit Jr. lost his wife and two daughters in a home invasion in Cheshire. He could hardly be blamed if he turned away from the world.

Instead, Petit has supported criminal justice reform and established a foundation he hopes will honor the memory of his lost loved ones for many years to come.

A major fundraising effort for the Petit Family Foundation is set for Sunday. The 5-kilometer road race starts at 9:30 a.m. in the General Electric parking lot at 41 Woodford Ave. in Plainville.

In the early hours of July 23, 2007, police say, two paroled convicts took the Petit family hostage, killing 48-year-old Jennifer Hawke-Petit and daughters Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11. William Petit was severely beaten, but survived.

Joshua Komisarjevsky, 27, of Cheshire, and Steven Hayes, 44, of Winsted, face capital felony and multiple murder, kidnapping, sexual assault and arson charges. Both have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to appear in New Haven Superior Court Friday.

In the weeks that followed the murders, letters of support, including unsolicited financial donations, began "streaming in," said Johanna Petit Chapman, William Petit's sister.

The initial outpouring of support led to school scholarships and endowed funds to the state chapter of the National MS Society, Hayley's Hope and Michaela's Miracle Memorial Fund. Those have now been centralized in the Petit Family Foundation.

"There were so many funds, it was pretty confusing," Chapman said.

"I think there has been a lot of goodness and kindness that's come out of a lot of people," Petit observed. "Because, though there's a lot of evil out there, there is a lot of goodness and kindness in the world."

Establishing the foundation was initially the idea of Petit's friends at a golf club, the Country Club in Farmington.

"People at the club thought it would be a good way to channel donations and do more and better things," he said.

"After six months, I could think a little," Petit said. "I really wanted it to be in perpetuity, to have a foundation that would keep their memories alive for a long time, hopefully forever."

The aim is "to perpetuate the idealism they stood for," he said.

The goals of the foundation are a mirror of the interests and efforts of the Petit women. A foundation Web site, www.petitfamily foundation.org, went online this week.

One goal is to support the education of young people, particularly of women in the sciences. Hayley Petit was going to attend Dartmouth College, her father's alma mater, to study biology, and had intended to go on to medical school, Chapman said.

Another is to improve the lives of those affected by

chronic illness. Jennifer Hawke-Petit, who worked as a registered nurse at Cheshire Academy, had multiple sclerosis. After her mother had been diagnosed, Hayley Petit, at age 10, organized the Hayley's Hope MS walk. Her fundraising efforts garnered more than $50,000.

Following in her sister's footsteps, Michaela Petit had been in the process of organizing her own walk, Michaela's Miracle.

Such community service efforts were "a big part of their lives," said Chapman, so establishing the foundation in their honor "just made sense."

A third goal is to help those affected by violence.

"I don't think people understand how far, really, the effects of violence are," Petit said.

This Sunday's road race is labeled "Be the Change," taken from a quote Michaela Petit had on her Facebook site on the Internet. It's from an observation by Mohandas Gandhi that "you must be the change you want to see in the world."

The race was organized by Bob and Gary Heslin, friends of William Petit's since high school in Plainville.

"Dr. Petit said to us, 'Please carry on what these girls started,'" Bob Heslin said.

Chapman said the goal is to make the road race an annual event. Fundraising efforts have been greatly enhanced by corporate sponsorship, she said. Two golf tournaments also have raised funds for the foundation.

There's nearly $500,000 at this point, Chapman said, and the intent is to provide funding off the interest and maintain the foundation as a perpetual giver.

"Frankly, it's a lot easier to concentrate on this stuff than the other," Chapman said.

The response of generosity to the highly publicized home invasion has been enduring.

"Everybody's looking for a way to do things," Chapman said. "People are telling me they're more patient with their children. I know from the mail, that's still coming in from all over the place, that it's still resonating with people. It's an awful reason."

Bob Heslin said he hopes the road race will bring people together as well as raise money.

"Our vision was to have this huge party, a community get-together after the race," he said. Several activities will accompany the race, including a food court with several Plainville restaurants, a raffle, the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center color guard and music provided by WDRC-FM.

Children under 8 can participate in a kids' race at 9:15 a.m. The ribbons to be awarded were designed by William Petit.

In addition to the 3.1-mile run, there is also a 1.3-mile fitness walk. More information is online at www.petitroadrace.com.

In the past year, laws have been passed in Connecticut as a response to the Cheshire home invasion. Those include the establishment of a criminal justice database and changes to how the Board of Pardons and Paroles operates.

Another law boosts staffing at criminal justice agencies. Additional funding expands a global positioning system to monitor parolees. A new crime of "home invasion" came into effect March 1.

"I think what's happened there has been a start, but I think there's a long way to go," said William Petit.

He said he's been bolstered by "an incredible amount of support" that's come from a variety of sources, including his family circle, his friends from high school and his college friends from the Dartmouth class of '78.

Construction is set to begin next month on Dartmouth's Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center. The area leading to the auditorium of the new building is to be named the Petit Family Gallery, William Petit said.

"There have been multiple circles of people who have been incredibly supportive," he said. "They've provided motivation and a reason to get up some days."

Reporter Jesse Buchanan contributed to this story.

jkurz@record-journal.com

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