HONOLULU –
George LaRosa has experienced the worst fears of any parent – the loss of a child.
LaRosa, a retired member of the Honolulu Police Department and Chaminade University assistant softball coach, and his family had their lives turned upside down in August 2004 when their daughter, Trina, an honor roll student and multi-sport standout at Kaimuki High School in Honolulu, took her own life.
There were no indications of suicidal tendencies with Trina. There was no note left behind, leaving only speculation as to what triggered her actions. The LaRosas believe she may have suffered from an undetected mental imbalance.
Every October since, George and his wife, Trini, hold a memorial walk in her memory. Dozens of family, friends and supporters turn out for the event at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki.
This year's walk – on the 10
th anniversary of Trina's passing – held the morning of Saturday, Oct. 18, was no different, despite the threat of rain from passing Hurricane Ana. The Silverswords softball team, which has always been a part of the walk, was there. This time, joining them was the Chaminade women's soccer team, who joined the cause following their early morning practice.
"It means a lot," George said. "It's good to see family and friends, especially my Chaminade family and my HPD family and all the friends coming out for this walk."
The 3-mile walk around Kapiolani Park is special to George. He and Trina, nicknamed "Bully," did the walk regularly where they talked about sports, school and life. This simple activity became the inspiration for this annual event, called the Trina LaRosa Memorial Walk.
Word of mouth is how it's publicized. George's former HPD co-workers, friends and family as well as the members of the Silverswords softball team, pass the message along. And the event is attended by dozens of supporters. A special t-shirt with Trina's picture in the back and "Bully's" are passed out and a donation collection is taken. Even passers-by and curious on-lookers have stopped by to take a look a photo collage and have made donations.
Each year, the LaRosa family, has used every cent of the donations to create an annual scholarship for a student at Saint Patrick School, a private middle school where Trina graduated before attending Kaimuki HS.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen suicide is the third-leading cause of death among persons between the ages of 15-24. However, the CDC says that the topic of suicide is an uncomfortable topic to talk about and, therefore, there is little information on ways of prevention.
George is trying to change that. During his years with the HPD, he's gone to various schools around O'ahu, speaking to students about suicide prevention. In 2010, Kahuku High School, one of the state's football powerhouses, suffered their own tragedy when a star player and the team's co-captain, took his own life. George went to Kahuku to talk to the grieving students and he asked them if they knew anyone who had suicidal tendencies. The response left him floored as several students said 'Yes.'
"I was surprised by how many kids out there have this depression and a tendency to commit suicide. But they can get some help if they can get the right counseling. So I try to go out there to the community and try to be a voice and to be a factor out there."
Even in his retirement from the force, George is still active with teen suicide prevention. He also spent some time on the Chaminade University campus during the school's "Prevent Suicide Awareness Week" in early September.
"I'm a real advocate, especially for teen suicide," he said. "I was amazed by the number of deaths by suicide, but I try to go out there in the community and be a voice. While I was in the department, I would talk to schools like Kahuku, Castle, Kailua, all the schools on the Windward side (where George patrolled regularly).
"It's one thing that happened to me that I would never have imagined to have happen to your own family, but it did," he said. "So that's why I feel strongly about it and to be a voice to all these teenagers out there."
