Fundraiser at Speedway donates $5K to Victim Services
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ESCANABA — The recent Christian Groleau Memorial Race, now an annual event at the Escanaba Motor Speedway, raised approximately $5,000 that was donated to Delta County Victim Services Unit.
The volunteer Victim Services Unit (VSU) works in collaboration with the Delta County Sheriff’s Department to provide short-term crisis intervention, refer victims of crimes to appropriate agencies, serve as liaisons between families and law enforcement, and help educate victims about their rights.
“The VSU advocates are paged by Delta County Dispatch … (to) respond to such calls as homicides, suicides, motor vehicle accidents, drownings, death notifications, fires, natural disasters, missing persons, SIDS, natural deaths, and other catastrophes as needed. They are not counselors and will not be involved in a long-term relationship. In situations where there is a death, advocates must accompany officers to a residence,” states the VSU.
Since 2020, the Groleau family has helped coordinate an annual event at the Escanaba Motor Speedway in memoriam of Christian, who had been active in sports as well as sprint car racing at the Escanaba track, which was then called Upper Peninsula International Raceway. He died by suicide in January 2020 at the age of 24.
His race family and biological family (parents Jim and Charlotte) organized an event that July, the first Christian Groleau Memorial Race, which raised about $4,800 for End the Silence, which aims to spread suicide awareness and prevention in the area.
The memorial race became an annual event, with a different but related benefactor chosen each time. Last year, proceeds went to Overdose Awareness of Delta County.
After last weekend’s race, bucket raffles and the 50/50 drawing netted about $5,000, reported Jim Groleau.
“We had a great turnout, excellent night of racing and a very successful night overall,” Jim said. “Big thank you to all the volunteers, businesses and individuals who donated gift baskets. Could not have been done without them.”
The VSU also thanked everyone who contributed.
“All of the agencies and local friends (and) families that donated to the cause whether, it was a basket for our big raffle or a monetary donation, we greatly appreciate it,” the organization wrote in a social media post. “A very special ‘Thank you’ to the whole Groleau family for allowing our organization to benefit from this wonderful event. We will continue to bring awareness and education to our area and help families affected by unimanigeable tragedies across Delta County. We are very humbled that we can offer help during some of the worst times and hope we bring some peace and comfort when called upon.”
The event had been the seventh annual race in Christian’s memory. The results of the race itself in its various classes were published in an article by Daily Press sports writer Adam Hinch last week.