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The parents of Victoria McGrath, a Northeastern student and Boston Marathon survivor killed in an overseas crash, is thanking the public for their support and asking people to donate in honor of the 23-year-old.
McGrath and classmate, Priscilla Perez Torrez, were in Dubai at the time of the fatal crash. The university said the women were on a personal trip, not studying abroad.
>> Marathon bombing survivor killed in car crash in Dubai
"Throughout her life, charity and caring for others is what motivated Victoria," McGrath's parents said. They went on to describe her compassion and love for working with underprivileged children and children with disabilities. Recently, her parents said McGrath had a passion for working with American Veterans recovering from trauma.
"Victoria’s voice was one that contained rare empathy, which comforted and motivated many people," the statement read.
McGrath's parents encouraged the public to carry on her work by donating to Four Block, a nonprofit organization that helps transitioning veterans.
The full statement reads:
"To the extended family and friends of Victoria McGrath –
"Victoria McGrath is being remembered. This past weekend, Victoria died in a car accident while traveling abroad. Even as we are working through the pain, we, Victoria's parents want to share a brief message. It is a message of faith and charity.
"Victoria's faith is strong and on display each day. Her faith is true, which is why we can rest assured that she is in Heaven now with our Lord God. This is a great source of comfort – to know that we did not say 'good-bye' but rather 'we will meet again.'
"Throughout her life, charity and caring for others is what motivated Victoria. Her compassion first revealed itself when she was working with underprivileged children and children with disabilities. In recent years, she had spent her time helping homecoming American Veterans who were recovering from trauma of their own. In a society that is abundant in support for troops but often lacks true understanding, Victoria's voice was one that contained rare empathy, which comforted and motivated many people. This rare empathy was earned through her experience of recovering from the physical and non-physical injuries sustained in the Boston Marathon bombings.
"Having said that, we would like to personally thank family, friends, Northeastern University, and the people of the City of Boston for the continued support and caring shown to the Boston Strong survivors. There are any number of ways that one can respond to tragedy, and the majority of the options can be destructive. What Victoria taught all of us was how, against the odds, to respond with determination, humility, and not a single note of bitterness. Let us gather our grief and understand what it truly is – a transmutation of our love for Victoria – and let that understanding motivate us to be constructive as we eventually emerge from this tragedy.
"With that in mind, as an expression of our feelings for Victoria, we invite you to carry on the work she loved and to donate to Four Block, a non-profit organization that helps transitioning veterans. Donations made to Four Block in remembrance of Victoria will go directly toward building career readiness programs for returning Veterans in Boston, specifically to aid veterans transitioning into civilian jobs.
"Donations can be made directly on the website (www.fourblock.org). After submitting the donation on the website, there is a space available to designate the donation in remembrance of Victoria.
"Victoria's work continues. Thank you—
"Jill and Jim McGrath"
