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Scattering the Kindness
The holidays can be tough for everybody, especially for those who have experienced a loss. Some of us deal better than others, and some just snap. Warning signs for suicide contemplation can be trickier to see than people may think, especially when the person who is contemplating this decision is someone you know. I had never dreamt that I would be involved in a suicide investigation, but it happened. Before finals week, I had gone to Kearney to stay for the weekend. My boyfriend lived with two other guys his age and they were both gone most of the weekend. We never questioned their whereabouts until we saw that one roommate, Khoa Vu’s car was still there Sunday afternoon. This was baffling since we hadn’t seen him at all, so Lance and I went to check on him. Before we could even process what was going on, we were in the middle of endless police questioning. In my mind, all I could think about was how his family would react, especially his best friend and cousin, Jason Luong (a former UNL student). Jason and Khoa had a unique kind of friendship. The two spent their entire lives together and grew up to enjoy many of the same things, including sports, video games and video productions. This is where Scatter Kindness Productions came about. Scatter Kindness Productions was an organization the two put together where they would film and upload various stunts, tutorials, and other funny things to YouTube. Since it was a partnership, when Khoa passed away, Jason decided to retire the organization after one last video – a memorial for Khoa. Many friends and family were grateful for this as it made them feel better to see Khoa so happy and alive. Later that week, Jason turned the loss he was suffering into yet another positive production called Scatter Kindness Clothing. This new partnership, started by Jason and other friends of Khoa, sells t-shirts and soon other clothing that feature the words “Scatter Kindness” on them. For every t-shirt sold, one dollar goes to the Ganley Foundation, a suicide and depression education firm. Designs are available on the Scatter Kindness Clothing page on Facebook, so if you’d like to purchase a shirt, check out their page and do your part in scattering kindness because “kindness changes everything.” Jess is a sophomore studying advertising. You may contact her at jess_peterson16@hotmail.com.
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