TOLEDO – Nine years on from a tragedy that took a teenager’s life, one family asks, “What does it really mean to be kind?”
Luken T. Boyle, was getting ready to start high school as a freshman at Central Catholic, when he was catfished and then bullied online by a classmate in 2017.
As a result of the online harassment, the 14-year-old took his own life, but his family didn’t give up on him or the kindness he showed others.
“He was just full of love and light, and he was just a really good kid,” said Samantha Boyle of her son.
Boyle said her son didn’t suffer from ongoing mental health struggles, but the online incident was overwhelming for the child to deal with at the time.
In the wake of her son’s death, Boyle pushed for suicide awareness, pushed back against cyberbullying, and ultimately wanted to put something positive out into the world.
“He was just the kindest young man you’d ever meet,” she said, and admitted that before her son passed away she didn’t think too much about the importance of kindness.
“When this was going on, we realized that some people, especially youth, have zero experiences of kindness,” Boyle said. “So we wanted to give them a space where they can experience kindness and really learn what it means to be intentionally kind and do something for someone that can change their day.”
The mother said in the days and weeks after Luken’s death, “I need to share his story.”
What came from that excruciating experience was the Luken T. Boyle Campaign for Kindness, a nonprofit dedicated to kids and adults empathizing, encouraging and helping one another.
“The rally was originally set up on the day of Luken’s death,” said family friend Rick Longenecker, who also serves on the board of the Luken 4 Kindness nonprofit board. “The summer after he died, they set it up on the exact day, and they were shocked at how many people showed up.”
Each year, the Boyle family plans a kindness rally in downtown to highlight the importance of being kind to one another.
While the first one was planned as a memorial, now the event raises awareness and urges the public to hold the value of kindness for one another by engaging the community. “We don’t ask for money at all,” Longenecker said, and went on to explain the Luken Campaign for kindness was highlighting two nonprofit organizations, Mom’s House and Catholic Charities.
Longenecker said the rally was really about how, “even in the ugliest moments, you can make a positive choice.”
Max Boyle, contestant on season 17 of The Voice, and cousin to Samantha Boyle, will perform during the rally on Thursday, July 23 with speakers Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, Samantha Boyle and Brandon Hawkins, the team captain of the Walleye.
The event will take place in Hensville, 406 Washington Street, from 5 to 7 pm, ending before the first pitch of the Mud Hens game, and will feature Central Catholic High School’s Irish Dance Team.
The first 25 people to bring a donation of food items (canned or boxed), hygiene items, or diapers will receive a free voucher for the baseball game.
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