WINTHROP UNIVERSITY

Janiva Willis, founder of the Charlotte-based nonprofit I Dream in Colors was killed Tuesday in a car crash in Hudspeth County, Texas on Tuesday. Willis, who was biking across the U.S. to raise money and awareness for the mentoring program, was a passenger in a car struck by a tractor trailer. The car's driver, Jeffrey Turner, was also killed.

Janiva Willis died helping kids.

Willis, executive director of the Charlotte-based nonprofit I Dream in Colors, was killed Tuesday in Hudspeth County, Texas, during a cross-country bike tour to raise money for the mentoring program. According to the Texas Highway Patrol, the crash was reported around 9 p.m. local time on westbound Interstate 10 in Hudspeth County about five miles west of Van Horn. Willis, 33, a Winthrop University graduate and former softball player, was riding in a car when it was struck by a tractor-trailer. The car's driver, Jeffrey Turner, was also killed.

"We are stunned by this tragic news. Janiva was such a vibrant and positive person to be around," Winthrop athletic director Tom Hickman said in a statement on the school's athletics web site. "She was so excited about the work she was doing to help mentor the youth in this area and was such a great role model.  We were eagerly awaiting her arrival back to Rock Hill following her journey. She certainly made her mark on both our softball program and the university. She will be missed."

Willis, a native of Irishtown, New Brunswick, Canada, was biking from San Diego, California, to Charlotte to raise money and awareness for the mentoring program.  The 3,174-mile trip started March 26. She was scheduled to arrive in Rock Hill on June 9 and then depart for Charlotte for the last leg of her journey on June 11.

“My friends were like ‘Wow Jay, that’s amazing,’ but they were looking at me like I was crazy,” she told The Post last month. “My mom is my biggest supporter and fan, so when I say I’m going to do something like that, she believed me from Day 1. She was like ‘Whatever you need done, I’m your biggest cheerleader.”

Willis was a four-time All-Big South softball player at Winthrop and was named NCAA South Carolina Woman of the Year in 2005 and was a finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year. She played on the Canadian national team in 2005 and 2007. In 2012, she was inducted into the Winthrop Athletics Hall of Fame. 

A clinical social worker by training and profession, Willis stepped away from her work to launch I Dream in Colors, which provides positive life experiences, specifically to children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or in need of additional academic and life support.  

“It’s to give them hope and show them the importance of not just the kids but the community the importance of giving our time and our talent,” said Willis, who earned Winthrop degrees in 2005 and 2008. “We can help the youth reach their dreams for their future.”

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