I know this may not be the forum but I figured it could potentially tie into a discussion about college life for our members and member's children.
A week after my 15th birthday I woke up to find my parents outside speaking to our next door neighbors, who were sobbing at the end of our driveway. After a few hours of some unsuccessful questioning, my parents finally told me what had happened. My neighbor, 20 year old Lindsey Bonistall, was the victim of a brutal rape and murder at her off-campus apartment at the University of Delaware in the early morning hours of May 1, 2005. A man broke into her apartment, committed the heinous crimes, stole her belongings, lit the apartment on fire and left.
The events that unfolded in the next few weeks were images that will remain with me for the rest of my life. A nationwide manhunt began for the killer, one that even involved America's Most Wanted (they found him and put him into custody about a month after the crime). An entire neighborhood came together in an attempt to grieve and console the close-knit family in some way. News reporters from every major outlet in the area would come wrapping on the door at all times during the day to try to gain any kind of information from someone that may be more knowledgeable about the case than they were.
More than six years after Lindsey's death, her memory stays with us daily. Her older sister got married last year and is pregnant with her first child. Her two cousins that she was very close with both graduated from college and have excellent jobs. Everything that has happened around us are things that would have made her happy, and things she'd have been proud of.
Today her legacy is carried on through a charity known as "PEACEOUTside Campus". Her sign off in Internet conversations and text messages was "Peace Out" and thus her parents thought it'd be a fitting name. PEACEOUTside Campus is a foundation geared towards raising awareness for off-campus housing safety at colleges nationwide. Thus far, we've been able to raise several hundred thousand dollars towards the cause, and are looking to raise much more into the future.
PEACEOUTside Campus runs several events throughout the year, but one event is the culmination of all of the effort. There is a 5K run/walk in Lindsey's honor every October. This year's is October 23...next sunday...at Purchase College in New York.
I would greatly appreciate if you would take a few minutes of your time to view the webpage for the charity and read what it is all about. A donation would be absolutely outstanding, although I don't wish anyone to feel obligated to do something like that. Any awareness for the cause is a positive attribute and can assist in moving the process in the right direction for the future.
http://www.peaceoutsidecampus.org/
Thanks!
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