Losing a loved one is hard enough. Losing a loved one to suicide is something completely different.

The Charles Henderson High School Class of 2016 lost Kristal Ross to suicide last year, but they aren’t willing to just sit and mourn her life. They want to cherish her memory in a way that will make a difference in the future.

A select group of CHHS seniors who attend Park Memorial United Methodist Church chose to create a fundraising campaign to raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in participation with the upcoming Out of the Darkness Walk, sponsored by Troy Regional Medical Center. This group of girls includes Ross’ four closest friends.

“I think this will be really good,” said Carla Oswald, small group leader at Park Memorial who helped the students begin their fundraising efforts. “Instead of just these girls doing it, I thought it would be cool if the senior class would do it together.”

The girls decided to paint a toilet in CHHS colors, and put it in yards across Troy. When someone finds the toilet in his or her yard, he or she must pay $30 to have the toilet moved, and the person donating may choose who receives the toilet next.

Oswald said that the girls placed the toilet at Troy City Schools Superintendent Lee Hicks’ house Sunday night. Just that night, the toilet had to be moved to six other houses, and they have taken it to at least seven houses each night since then.

“From there, it just got crazy,” Oswald said. “The school system and Dr. Hicks have been fabulous with making it better from the day it happened until now.

“I was trying to figure out a way that made them feel good that involved her,” Oswald continued. “They are all struggling to talk about Kristal in a non-negative way in their everyday lives.”

Lindsay Lee, one of the girls who helped start the project, is seeing a change in the way that she views the situation.

“I see her joy and her happiness and excitement through this,” Lee said. “I know that she would have been a part of this. It’s a happy reminder. There is still some sad in it. It’s still fun, we are in good company, and we are here for a good reason.”

Lee said that it’s a good thing to see not only Ross’ classmates coming together for such a good cause, but to see the entire community participate.

“It’s so important,” Lee said. “It’s fun to see our community come together for this cause. It was hard to get it going, but it is so fun. I love seeing people that don’t normally participate get in there and participate. It’s heart-warming to see people come together and donate for this great cause.”

The students set a goal of $500, but easily exceeded that goal with the Out of the Darkness Walk still over a week away. The toilet is not the only element in their fundraising. The students also designed t-shirts to sell and are setting up a fundraiser where CHHS students can pay to have a chance to pie a teacher in the face. The t-shirts are color-coordinated. Blue shirts mean that the student supports the cause, purple shirts mean the student lost someone to suicide and green means the student has struggled with suicide.

“I think that not everyone is 100 percent comfortable talking about it, but as a whole CHHS and Troy comes together so well and takes care of each other,” said Cassidy Oswald, another student involved in the fundraiser. “Even when some people didn’t want to talk about it, but they knew everyone would care so they did it anyway.

Cassidy was Ross’ best friend and always had been.

“Kristal was my best friend,” Cassidy said. “Her parents and my parents are also best friends. Her family and my family have always been very close. She became a sister to me. It was really tragic what happened, but that does not define her as a person. That was just one day that didn’t go the way it was supposed to. She was not a depressed person. She was a happy person that reflected on other people and made them feel good.”

Students in the CHHS Class of 2016 will join together at the Out of the Darkness Walk on Sept. 13 at the Troy University track from 3 to 5 p.m. Registration begins at 2 p.m. All funds raised will benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“The title of the walk is Out of the Darkness, so that could be an inspiration to people that there is alight at the end of the tunnel out of the anything,” Lee said. “Someone loves you and that’s all that really matters.”

Carla Oswald said that while these activities, fundraisers and events do not take away from the pain, it is still beneficial to all who participate and to remember those that were lost.

“It doesn’t take away from the sadness, but you have to find a way to find some happiness in the memories,” Oswald said. “What happened in the end is not who she was.”