Losing anyone is tough, but it’s especially heart-wrenching when it’s a young person with so much left to give. A chapter at the University at Albany SUNY recently experienced a devastating loss as they said goodbye to a fallen sister. Sunny Kim, an alumna of Kappa Phi Lambda, was killed in a tragic domestic violence assault.
According to Gayle Unhjem, who translated the article from a Korean website, the details of the tragedy are extremely disturbing and horrifying. Sunny was strangled by her boyfriend when she told him that she wanted to breakup, then he buried her body on a nearby hill. After killing her, Sunny’s boyfriend tried to take his own life, and later called the police, confessing to her murder. According to the translation, her boyfriend had a history of abusive behavior and stalking, but no one realized how serious the situation was.
There’s no way to cope with such an unnecessary death, but in an effort to help Sunny’s loved ones left, the sisters of Kappa Phi Lambda decided to do something for Sunny’s family. They chose to set up a gofundme page to help with funeral costs.
The page reads:
“On behalf of Kappa Phi Lambda – Upsilon Chapter we would like to announce with a great sadness the passing of our beloved sister Sunny Kim ‘LaROK’. On 2 May 2015, Sunny Kim passed from an unjust death. No words can express how much we will miss her. She was truly one of a kind and brought much light and laughter to our chapter. May she rest in peace. We ask that anyone who knew Sunny please respect the privacy of her family during this time of grief. In an effort to support her family in their time of grief we have set up a gofundme account that will be passed to her family to help with funeral costs. Please continue to pass on her story and cherish the moments you shared with her.”
Since the page was created a day ago, they have already raised close to $14,000. The inspiring efforts of a chapter that came together and do so much good for a devastated family is a testament to how Greek support each other. We wish that Sunny’s family and the sisters of Kappa Phi Lambda find love in each other during this tragic time.
Update 6/1/2015
On Monday morning, just three days into their campaign, an amazing $26,590 has been raised in support of Sunny by 686 donators.
[Story & Images via gofundme]
