In mid August, about 30 Western Michigan University Alumni will gather in South Haven for a bike ride on the Kal-Haven Trail. The purpose of this ride—the person they are riding for—will not be there. After falling ill, Mike Poindexter (BS '01, Speech Pathology & Audiology) committed suicide in the Fall of 2011. The bike ride will raise money for WMU's Suicide Prevention Program.
"His friends from WMU are gathering to remember all the fun times and great joy that he brought to our lives during and after college," explains Eric Duby (BA '00, Criminal Justice), who is among the 'organizers' of the ride.
The group of friends met their first year at WMU in Garneau/ Harvey Halls of Valley II. In their second year, they all lived on the same floor of Valley I. Throughout their years at WMU, they lived close to each other—that proximity remains although some of the friends have moved across the country, and across the Atlantic.
The bike ride will bring friends from Wales, Chicago, California, The Carolinas, and Metro Detroit. They talk on the phone often, and some manage to get together on the weekends. They try to meet once a year, usually around Christmas. Duby explained that the group was able to set up a Facebook page to spread the word, "social media has made it very easy to stay in touch."
When Duby and his friends decided to do something to memorialize Poindexter, the answer was obvious. He had loved South Haven and riding his bike. He also loved WMU, so the group decided to see what kind of programs the University had for suicide and suicide prevention. The ride is exclusive to this group of friends for this year, but they hope to expand next year.
Duby says that Poindexter, who had a contagious laugh, would be "super happy that everyone was getting together."
To learn more about WMU's Suicide Prevention Program, please follow the link below:
WMICH.EDU — SUICIDE PREVENTION
Some members of the group are pictured above, at one of their gatherings:
Front Row (left to right):
Tony Bartnicki, Jill Smith (BS '03, Elementary Education), Brad Petersen (BBA '00, Computer Information Systems), Eric Duby (BA '00, Criminal Justice), Stephanie Stevenson, Karla Zoli (BS '02, Elementary Education), Mike Zoli (BA '01, Applied Liberal Studies)
Back Row (left to right):
Brian Kujala (BBA '02, Marketing), Eric Kujala (BBA '00, Marketing), Mike Poindexter (BS '01, Speech Pathology & Audiology) (in orange), Todd Harvey (BBA '01, Integrated Supply Management), Zac Sowle (BBA '01, Finance), BJ DeVries