The Ian Oliu Foundation for Life is composed of many family, friends, and caring people who are all working together in the memory of one amazing person: Ian Oliu. He was a beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and dear friend who had the heart of gold. Everything he did, he thought of others before doing. He was compassionate, smart, very funny, and handsome! Unfortunately, he was suffering inside, and felt that no one could understand. Sadly, we lost this incredible person on May 31, 2002 to a mysterious darkness that we will never forgive for taking the life of this young man far before his time. Since that tragic day, we have been working diligently to unearth the stigmas and ignorance associated with depression and those who may be contemplating taking their lives. Initially, we began by hosting a fundraiser, “Walking for Life”, and as a result of the huge success it turned out to be, continued our efforts within the school aged community in the Cherry Hill district. Some of our accomplishments include working closely with the Mental Health Task Force of Cherry Hill to develop different programs within the district such as QPR, for early recognition and prevention: Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) is a “train-the-trainer” program which was funded by our Foundation to train just about everyone in the Cherry Hill district on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of children and adolescents who are enduring the anguish of depression. In addition to our local efforts, we attended a 26 mile walk in Chicago ("Out of the Darkness"), hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), where the registration fees and donations we raised were contributed nationally towards the research and education for this cause. Although it is hard to believe that we have been without Ian for over 7 years now, we have accomplished so much in his memory, and it is our goal to educate and raise awareness to help others in the compassionate nature that reflects Ian perfectly!
Update:
The Foundation is proud to have partailly funded another "Train-the-Trainer" program from The QPR Institute. We want to gratefully acknowledge the generosity of our Master Trainer, Mark Besen, Stinenger Behavioural Care Services, for conducting the Training program in May, 2009. A broad cross section of people were trained, representing professional health organizations, various school districts, and members of the Cherry Hill Police Department.
