Keeping Joe’s Mission Alive
“Joe’s Walk for Change”
Taking Steps to STOP Bullying and SAVE Lives
A father’s journey across the United States to honor the memory of his son
JOE BELL TO BE LAID TO REST… BUT HIS MISSION WILL LIVE ON
La Grande, OR – Joe Bell’s story and his tragic death have captured national interest and media attention. What started out as a way for Joe to cope with the suicide of his 15-year-old son, Jadin, in February, turned into walking for a cause and wanting to make a bigger difference. Since intense bullying for being gay led to Jadin’s suicide, Joe’s focus also became spreading a message of tolerance, anti-bullying and suicide prevention during his planned nationwide walk from his hometown in La Grande, Oregon to New York City.
On October 9, 2013 on a rural stretch of highway in eastern Colorado, “Joe’s Walk for Change” came to an untimely end. While walking towards Wichita, Kansas Joe was hit and killed by a semi. Public outpouring on the Facebook page for Joe’s Walk for Change has encouraged the non-profit organization to carry on with what Joe started.
Public memorial services to celebrate the life of Joe Bell, of Joe’s Walk for Change, will be held Thursday, October 17th, 2013 at 2:00pm in La Grande, Oregon. The services will be held in the Gilbert Center at Eastern Oregon University (1 University Blvd, La Grande, OR 97850) and he will be laid to rest at Grandview Cemetery.
The memorial service can be viewed on line by going to funeralrecording.com, click on the “Watch a Service” button and enter the Memorial ID Number 4159.
While Joe’s family, friends and supporters say goodbye to a loving father who sacrificed everything to make sure his son didn’t die in vain… perhaps some peace may come in knowing that Joe’s mission and his journey will live on…
By going to www.JoesWalkForChange.org people can sign up to walk 5-mile increments or more along Joe’s original route plan to help complete his walk and to take steps to stop bullying and save lives. The walking route will pick up in Colorado where Joe left off and continue through the following states: Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.
Others not in those areas can walk 5 or more consecutive miles, in honor of Joe and in support of anti-bullying and suicide prevention, and then go to www.JoesWalkForChange.org and log the miles, share a picture of the walk, and share how it went.
Joe’s vision was to get a million “Likes” on the Face Book page for Joe’s Walk for Change and to raise a million dollars during his walk… and with everyone’s participation, the goal is also now to log a million miles. Per Joe’s wishes, the donations raised during this journey will then be given to organizations that support anti-bullying and suicide prevention.
Joe’s Walk for Change is a non-profit organization that was brought together by Joe Bell himself to support his walk and promote the change he believed was… and is… possible.
(**We ask that the media please help us in our efforts to end the stigmatization of suicide. When writing or speaking about Joe’s son Jadin, please do not use the term “committed suicide.” Instead, use other terms such as “died by suicide” or “took his own life”, which are more appropriate and kind. Also, please do not refer to the method by which he took his life. Thank you.)
