Got this passed along to me... The news of 14-year-old David Phan's tragic suicide shocked communities everywhere -- another young life lost to the torment of bullying. But his family is hoping that David's death will not be in vain.
To spread awareness about the issue of bullying, David's family has set up a memorial Wells Fargo account in his name. In lieu of flowers, donations can made to the Anti-Bullying Foundation: In Memory of David Phan. All funds donated will go towards education and outreach efforts against bullying.
Here's the statement from David Phan's family:
"As a family, we had hoped for a private opportunity to mourn the passing of our darling sweet David. Unfortunately, in this time of unrelenting grief, we are forced to confront conflicting descriptions of what led to David's tragic passing.Donations can be made at any Wells Fargo branch or online in reference to the account name, Anti-Bullying Foundation: In Memory of David Phan, or using the account number 1015981093.
David was an adored son, beloved by his close-knit parents, older brother, and large extended family. David's home life was full of support and unconditional love. His parents are devastated to have lost their young son, who rarely left their side. Many of his peers and members of the community have confirmed that David was an amazing student and extraordinary friend.
David was an outstanding son, but he shielded his parents from the horror and negative experiences he was facing at Bennion Jr. High. The last few days have been an absolute living nightmare to learn that he was bullied in school where he was supposed to be in a safe learning environment. It is time for us to turn the hate David endured by bullies into a learning experience that will strengthen a divided community. Let us not deny the numerous accounts that David was a victim of serious bullying at school. Allow his family and friends the ability to heal by us all taking accountability and moving towards conversations and practices that will enable us to prevent other children from enduring this unbearable pain.
We would like to meet with school administrators this week to address issues we have with conflicting statements released by the school and district. . We don't wish to relive this tragedy, but we deserve honest answers so we can move forward to create effective solutions. We demand to see that an effective anti-discrimination safe zone training be required for administration, faculty and staff who will then be able to pass down and model this crucial knowledge to students and the entire community. We don't want David's life to be tarnished as a bullied kid who was pushed to the limit. David exuded love when his bullies showed nothing but ignorance and fear. He was raised with compassion and understanding with a goal to contribute to society. We miss his beautiful smile, his exceptional personality and his witty sense of humor.
We encourage David's friends, peers and community members to come forward with information to their school administration in order to empower our youth and create safe places in our schools. Please report bullying when you see or hear it. The love that David taught us should leave a legacy where we unite in a common goal to eliminate bullying.
In lieu of flowers, an account has been set up at Wells Fargo under The Anti-Bullying Foundation in memory of David Phan. All donations will go towards anti-bullying education and outreach. All funeral expenses have been covered by David's family.
Today we're honoring David's life and his parents miss him terribly. We ask the media to please respect the family's privacy. We will not be answering any questions at this time. Thank you for respecting the family's wishes."
Thanh-Tung Than-Trong
Phan family spokesperson