Candlelight Vigils
Every year on or around May 17th, we hold a vigil in honor of Brandy. They are held at the memorial bench on the campus of Youngstown State University.
Our annual candlelight vigil allows Brandy's friends and family, who think about her every day, to come together to remember who Brandy was. These remind us that we are not alone in our pain, and that it is OK to remember Brandy in a positive light.
The public is welcome and it is typically between 20 - 30 people. We usually say a prayer, light candles, share memories, and do a (biodegradable - thanks to Steph's advice) balloon launch at the end.
Check out the gallery for more pictures.
The Aftermath
What Came After
Brandy's friends had to attend the funeral of a classmate before they attended the wedding of a classmate. This is just one way to explain the shock her friends experienced with this tragedy.
The pain that they and Brandy's family endured is completely unjustified and still burns deeply.
After Brandy's death, a friend of hers mentioned to me that we could sell wristbands to raise money to help with the funeral. Brandy's mom explained that the funeral costs were being graciously covered by an organization that advocates for victims' families, Parents of Murdered Children.
We did proceed to order some wristbands and found that folks were willing to donate to help us keep Brandy's memory alive.
Alongside of the wristband sales, Brandy's friend Sebastian put together a memorial concert for her as well.
We decided to use the funds that were raised through these events to purchase a memorial bench first. In January of 2013, the memorial bench was unveiled on the campus of Youngstown State University. Finally, Brandy's family and friends had a physical place to go to mourn (Brandy's family had her cremated). We hold our annual candlelight vigils at the bench.
After the bench was purchased, we used the remaining donations to fund scholarships in Brandy's name. The scholarships went to Boardman High School students who were pursuing an education in music.
The only thing left to do is to do the best we can to keep Brandy's memory alive. I hope that we can let the light of her memory burn out the shadow of the tragedy that took her from us.
