CRESTVIEW — Angela Meeks remembers the day she brought Elie Dipay home.
"When we brought my daughter, Elizabeth (Elie's half-sister), home, it was April the 29th of 2006," Meeks said. "The next day, we went and brought Elie home.
Elie and his other siblings, at their mother's request, went to live with Meeks' sister-in-law, Jennifer Oliver, and her husband Shane, in Laurel Hill.
Meeks and the Olivers — parents to Tyler, 19; and Hayden, 11 — were already close, but "We have a permanent bond because of those children," Meeks said.
But moving to a new home challenged Elie, she said.
"When I think about him, I just think about this scared little boy … He realized he was being sent home with a stranger that he'd never laid eyes on.
"That was what broke my heart," Meeks said. "He was so scared, he wanted me to ride in the back of the truck with him, so I did."
It wouldn't be her last heartbreak; Elie committed suicide on Dec. 18, 2014. The Shoal River Middle School student was 13.
SUICIDE PREVENTION
The Olivers and Meeks families formed Elie's Voice, a nonprofit organization, in March to help remove Okaloosa County children's risk of suicide and ensure kids feel loved.
"We are working towards bringing suicide prevention assemblies, programs and awareness to the Okaloosa County schools, students and staff," Jennifer Oliver said.
The group wants to see The Strength Team's assemblies on suicide and bullying prevention approved for Okaloosa schools. The team includes professional football players and body builders who give motivational speeches and perform demonstration of extraordinary physical strength.
In the meantime, the Oliver and Meeks families have scheduled training for themselves and volunteers, with the goal of learning how to address young people and get them immediate help.
"We have training programs and information we can share with school staff and students about warning signs and what to do when you suspect someone may be planning to commit suicide," Oliver said.
BACKPACK BUDDIES
Another goal is to fulfill children's needs by filling their bodies with nourishment.
"Children who have gone through as much as Elie, they tend to have a lot of issues that you have to deal with," Meeks said.
Coming from a lower-income household, for instance, could mean a shortage of food.
North Okaloosa residents' and business' donations help the group provide meals to 35 students through the Backpack Buddies program.
"The school counselors locate kids who may not eat over the weekend," Jennifer Oliver said. "We send them home on Fridays with disposable backpacks that have enough food in it to last them through the weekend, until they get back to school on Monday.
"We also did a school supplies drive and we were able to supply 47 kids with backpacks, lunch boxes and other school supplies for the 2015 school year. We handed them out at the beginning of the school year."
COMFORT BAGS
Stressing children's importance by giving them personal property is important for children in foster care, Oliver said.
She saw it firsthand with Elie.
"When Elie was 4 and first came to live with us, we bought him a Superman bag and some toys and a bear he named Oliver that he kept with him," she said. "He would pack his bag up every time he left a room, even to go the restroom…
"These were items of comfort for him when he was new to our home, and we want to offer other children the same comfort bags that helped Elie."
So the organization held its first Comfort Bags program outreach on Oct. 3, presenting about 35 bags filled with toys, a blanket and other comfort items to foster care children..
In addition to its core initiatives, the Elie's Voice plans to establish a scholarship program for the 2015-16 school year.
"We have not finalized all of the details yet for the application process, but we are putting together a scholarship committee that will help write the requirements and criteria, and also help us to decide on the scholarship recipient," Jennifer Oliver said.
DID YOU KNOW?
Andy Johnson, Okaloosa County School District Specialist for Health, Safety and Athletics, said, "We have a reference guide for teachers that administrators are aware of called 'Suicide Prevention and Intervention.'"
It has guidelines on warning signs, symptoms and things to look for, based on elementary and secondary school levels. The book is provided to Okaloosa principals, who review it with teachers at the beginning of the school year.
"Part of this folder deals with guidelines following a loss … the district is quick to give support to schools that have suffered a loss by providing them with additional counselors and other guidance," Johnson said. "We oftentimes follow up with the family that has suffered a loss.
"In dealing with losses like this, we're always attentive to the needs of our students."
Elie's Voice, an all-volunteer organization, has no employees, so all donations benefit programs for Okaloosa youths.
Contact Jennifer Oliver, 305-7019, or Angel Meeks, 603-0077, to contribute to the group's efforts.
See http://www.eliesvoice.org, or see Elie's Voice on Facebook
Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
WANT TO HELP?
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Holt nonprofit honors teen's memory, assists Okaloosa children at risk of suicide