Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - A family tragedy leads to aid for many

Marketplace \| Services \| Contact Us \| Community \| Arts & Entertainment \| Local Guides

Published by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY

Monday, July 9, 2001
A family tragedy leads to aid for many
Volunteer helped found Survivors After Suicide after her own loss
By Venessa Santos-Garza
Caller-Times

David Adame/Caller-Times

Madelyn Olson is a facilitator for Compassionate Friends, a support group for parents whose children have died. Olson also works with Survivors After Suicide, an organization for families and friends of people who have committed suicide.


   Madelyn Olson volunteers for such organizations as Compassionate Friends because she still can remember a time in her life when she needed the support of other parents who knew what she was going through.
   Olson, who in 1983 joined the organization for parents whose children have died, has volunteered as the group's administrator for the past four years. She also helped to start Survivors After Suicide for families and friends of those who have committed suicide.
   "They are both great support groups for parents and families overwhelmed with grief," Olson said. "It helps to talk with others who understand your feelings."
   Olson's 30-year-old son, David Olson, committed suicide in 1983.
   "I started going to Compassionate Friends two months after he died," Olson said. "It really helped to be with others who understood. I started working with Survivors After Suicide to be able to help other people like others helped me. There is such a stigma about suicide and so many people keep it a secret that it makes the grief process more difficult."
   Olson said there really isn't anything special about what she does. She just makes sure meetings go smoothly and end on time. She does not see the hours she spends preparing for meetings or lending an ear when people need her to as a big deal.
   "I just like helping people," she said.
   But Kay Noyes, who has been a member of Compassionate Friends since 1978, said Olson has a way of making everyone feel welcome at meetings.
   "When people lose a loved one they have all these questions. There are so many things they need to get through like how to handle holidays or birthdays," Noyes said. "Madelyn works really hard to involve every person and makes people more comfortable. She makes it easier for new people to ask the really hard questions."
   Olson has been recognized as part of the annual Caller-Times/Channel 6 Jefferson Volunteer Awards, which celebrate community volunteerism.
   Nominations are accepted throughout the year, and a community panel each month selects four honorees to be featured in articles and on KRIS 6 News.
   In April 2002, 10 Jefferson Award winners, selected from among the volunteers featured throughout the year, will receive bronze medallions minted by the Franklin Mint for their efforts to enrich their communities and the lives of their neighbors.


Contact Venessa Santos-Garza at 886-3752 or santosv@caller.com

| Talk about this story | Next Story | Home |

[ Printer-friendly version ]
[ Subscribe to newspaper ]

SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND