Hundreds of candles flickered in the autumn twilight to spread an important message in honor of Niles student Adam Stoops.
The candlelight vigil for Stoops took place on Friday night at the Apple Festival grounds.
In the crowd of more than 200 people were Stoops’ friends, family, fellow students and community members who gathered to show support for the student, who was hospitalized after he attempted to take his own life.
Stoops’ family said that he struggled with being bullied and this may have caused him to want to harm himself.
During the vigil, speaker and Real Life Church Pastor Jared Eckerley told the crowd they had to work together to put an end to these types of tragedies.
“Don’t just go home tonight and say ‘that was nice,’” Eckerley said. “Let’s end this. Let’s do something. Bullying, depression and suicide has no age limit.”
As many in the crowd wept, he told them to remember to let the people in their lives know they are important and cared for. In an age where almost everyone can reach one another with a cell phone, Eckerley said it could be as simple as texting someone to say, “thinking of you.”
“We can stand out here in a field all night holding candles, but that’s not going to do anything,” Eckerley said.
Eckerley said everyone struggles during the course of their life and feels sadness, so taking the time each day to let someone know that they are loved is important.
Standing in the crowd was Mauricio Aguirre, a friend and fellow Niles High School student.
“I just did not expect this to happen,” Aguirre said. “It’s kind of nice to see all these people.”
Another fellow student was Hunter Horton, of Niles High School. Horton said he was there to remind people of the light-hearted student that brought laughter to the room, most especially during long school marching band practice hours on Tuesdays.
“He was always the one to get us upbeat and happy,” Horton said. “They (practices) were terrible, but he always made them better.”
Before they blew out their candles and went back to their lives, Eckerley reminded the crowd to take time to show that they care about one another.
“Just think about that one person that you could make a difference in their life right now,” he said. “Think about that person and think about what you can do.”