Candlelight vigil held this Sunday

Published 11:00 pm Friday, December 13, 2013

A candlelight vigil will be held this Sunday at 6 p.m. on the Square in Troy to raise awareness about teenage bullying.

Hosted by David and Bendi Post, the vigil is offered in memory of their daughter who committed suicide last year.

The vigil, being held on their late daughter’s birthday, will include a sharing of memories by friends and family, a candle lighting to honor the victims of bullying and a releasing of pink balloons.

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Bendi Post said she hopes no parents ever have to go through what her family has gone through. “No parents should ever have to go through the death of their child,” Post said. “It happened last year, and we are still in a daze. I can’t believe that it has already been a year. The survivors of a suicide are broken after the fact.”

Post encouraged teens who might be considering suicide to talk to an adult about it. “Our daughter was such a sweet girl,” Post said. “We had no idea what was going on. If you’re a kid, and you’re being bullied, find an adult you can trust and tell them about it. If you’re a parent who thinks your child might be bullied, talk to your children and find out what is going on in their lives.”

Post also said it is important for adults to create a safe environment for their children. “Children need to feel like they can talk to adults,” Post said. “If you don’t spend enough time with your child, they may feel uncomfortable talking to you about embarrassing issues like bullying. We need to make society a place where a kid can report bullying and not feel embarrassed or scared.”

Post invited everyone to attend to vigil. “This is the first vigil we’ve ever held, so we don’t know how it will go,” Post said. “Everyone is invited. This is such an important issue. We want to be able to raise awareness so something like this never happens again.”