Fundraiser Set for Suicide Prevention Organization

The in Stony Brook lingered for weeks, but the memory of 13-year-old Andrew Murphy and the life he lived before his death in April will no doubt linger for a lifetime.

Andrew's family has begun to plan a fundraiser in his memory to benefit Response of Suffolk Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Stony Brook that operates a suicide prevention and crisis intervention hotline, an online response system, and educational programs.

This year, Response of Suffolk County has seen a dramatic decrease in its funding due to state and local budget cuts. Executive director Meryl Cassidy said in a statement to Patch that the organization is touched by the support of the community and the Murphy family in getting the word out about the Response Hotline for Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention right here in the community.

"This fundraiser is a great way to honor the memory of Andrew Murphy and support Response Hotline and Suicide Prevention Lifeline," Cassidy said.

The event is set for June 23 at 4 p.m. at in Ronkonkoma. A blog, orangeforandy.blogspot.com, has been set up to seek donations and provide additional information on the event.

A family friend said it will be a family-friendly event with food, face painting, a popcorn machine, raffles, and more.

A May 20 post on the blog reads: "Suicide is a pervasive problem in today's society, yet it remains a taboo subject to discuss. We need to bring it out in the open so that people can understand that it can happen to any family. We are all at risk."

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Editor's Note: This article was updated to reflect the correct date.