In Memory of Brandon and Natalie

Brandon Garland and Natalie Wiegan were students at McFarland High School in McFarland, Wisconsin. Brandon was a senior, Natalie a junior. Tragically, they both lost their lives to suicide in the spring of 2006 within eight weeks of each other. Brandon and Natalie were friends, and their families have been friends for years. This site is dedicated to their lives and memories, and also provides resources for teens and their families for suicide prevention, and coping after a loss. We encourage you to browse the photo albums, and visit the guestbook and share your memories and thoughts about these two wonderful kids. You may also contact the family members directly.

On June 21st and 22nd, 11 McFarland residents joined over 1200 other registrants and crew in Seattle, WA to participate in the national "Out of The Darkness" 20 mile overnight walk. This event is organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The purpose of the walk is to raise funds and awareness for suicide prevention. Over 1.3 million dollars was raised on this evening to help bring depression and suicide into the light. With your generous support and donations, Team "Bear With Us' was able to contribute approx. $15,000. Your generosity ranked team "Bear With Us" among the top 10 fund raisers nationally. Because of your heart felt support, lives will be saved. We began our overnight journey as the sun was setting. We walked through the night and out of the darkness as the morning sun began to rise. At times, our legs and feet felt like they could not carry us any longer. Our thoughts of Brandon and Natalie and the hearts of the many people who have been affected by suicide gave us strength to continue. The stories of our fellow walkers inspired us to keep walking. We were joined by young as well as old, we were joined by people participating on crutches and even people who were visually impaired: we were joined by people who walked in groups and we were joined by people who walked alone in the darkness. Everyone had their own reason for traveling to Seattle, but everyone had one thing in common; they have been affected and forever changed by depression and suicide. They were in Seattle to make a difference, and they are very passionate about doing whatever is possible to prevent this dreadful disease.
Next year the "Out of The Darkness" walk will be held in our nation's capital on May 30-31st, 2009. If all goes as planned, members of Team "Bear With Us" will again participate and represent Wisconsin in Washington DC.
We all thank you so much for the continued support that we have received from YOU.
Team "Bear With Us"
The Garlands, Wiegans, Dupors, Dostaleks and Suters

Thanks to everyone who attended the 2nd Annual Spaghetti Dinner on Feb 2nd, 2008, and thanks to all of the volunteers. The dinner was a huge success raising over $6000, and we hope to see everyone back next year!