POWAY, Calif. — Thousands of teachers, classmates and neighbors filled a high school stadium Saturday to honor a 17-year-old girl whose body was discovered in a shallow, lakeside grave as her parents vowed to dedicate themselves to protecting children from sex predators.

Dozens of doves were let go at the end of the nearly two-hour service for Chelsea King as many in the bleachers raised sunflowers with pale blue ribbons tied around the stems.

Family and friends told the crowd of Chelsea's big dreams, terrific sense of humor, sense of style, athleticism and thirst for knowledge.

They were profusely thankful for the massive search for her after she went missing Feb. 25 on a run at a San Diego park and for the outpouring of sympathy after her body was found five days later.

Tyler King, Chelsea's younger brother, recalled Christmas with his sister and how she teased him.

"I want to say I'm OK, but I'm not OK because the best thing in my life has been taken away from me," he said.

Speakers said Chelsea's heinous death galvanized people to prevent other children from falling victim to predators. A moment of silence was held for Amber Dubois, whose bones were found last week north of San Diego more than a year after she went missing while walking to school.

John Gardner, 30, pleaded not guilty to Chelsea's murder and attempted rape of another woman in December. He is also a suspect but has not been charged in the killing of Amber Dubois. Gardner served five years of a six-year sentence for molesting a 13-year-old neighbor in 2000. He was on parole for three years, until September 2008.

Brent King, Chelsea's father, said his daughter's attacker would have picked another victim if she had chosen another park to go running on the afternoon she vanished.