Justin Kuryliw grew up as a Huskie. Raised in DeKalb, he has been a huge fan of the school’s athletic teams for as long as he can remember.

Even before enrolling at NIU, he joined the student fan group. By midway through his freshman year he became president of the organization. He reveled in pouring his energy into efforts to increase attendance at games and generate fan support. But after the campus shootings of Feb. 14, 2008, he began to wonder if there wasn’t something more he could do for NIU.

The dean’s list student got his answer last spring while riding a bus home from Virginia Tech, where he and a group of students represented NIU at the one-year anniversary of the shootings there. It was then that he and some friends created Huskies United.

Since then, the group has worked with individual students and organizations to accumulate 500 hours of community service to honor the fallen Huskies – 100 hours of service for each. Projects have included everything from visiting the elderly to a campus bone marrow drive planned for this spring.

In addition to honoring those who died, Kuryliw, a junior who is majoring in business, hopes to also perpetuate the spirit of togetherness that permeated campus in the weeks after the shootings.

“After 2-14, there was such a tremendous feeling of unity and mutual support on campus. Through Huskies United, we hope to make that the norm all of the time,” Kuryliw said. “Our belief is that anything we do to help others brings us closer together.”