The Gordie Foundation
| Founded | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Mrs. Leslie Lanahan Mr. Michael Lanahan |
| Type | Health Education |
| Focus | Alcohol and Hazing Awareness |
| Location |
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| Origins | Following the 2004 hazing death of Lynn Gordon Bailey Jr. ("Gordie") at the University of Colorado at Boulder |
Area served | United States, Canada |
Key people | Melanie R. Carroll VP of Student Programs Brooks L. Powell Educational Programs Coordinator Michelle LeGrande Comunications Coordinator |
Volunteers | 500 |
| Website | http://www.gordie.org/ |
The Gordie Foundation (website) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Dallas, TX. The Foundation's mission is "to provide today's young people with the skills to navigate the dangers of alcohol, binge drinking, peer pressure and hazing." The Gordie Foundation was created in memory of 18 year-old Gordie Bailey who died on September 17, 2004 following a hazing incident involving alcohol in the Chi Psi fraternity house at the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, CO.
What Happened?
On the evening of September 16th, 2004, Lynn Gordon Bailey Jr. ("Gordie") and twenty-six other Chi Psi pledges dressed in coats and ties for "bid night" were taken blindfolded to the Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest where they were told to consume four "handles" (1.75 liter bottles) of whiskey and six (1.5 liter) bottles of wine around a bonfire in 30 minutes. Older active fraternity men stated to the group that “no one is leaving here until these are gone.” When the group returned to the Fraternity house, Gordie was visibly intoxicated and did not drink any more. He was placed on a couch to “sleep it off” at approximately 11:00pm. Later in the evening, while Gordie was unconscious, his brothers used permanent markers to scrawl demeaning sayings and pictures on all parts of his body. Gordie was left alone for 10 hours before he was found dead the next morning, face down on the floor. No one had called for help.
Who was Gordie?
Gordie was just 18 years old when he died. One month earlier, he had enrolled as a freshman at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. In his four weeks at the University, Gordie had been named to the club lacrosse team and had become a pledge at Chi Psi Fraternity. Gordie went to Colorado after three years at Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts where he excelled in athletics, music and drama. In his senior year he was co-captain of the varsity football team playing both middle linebacker and offensive guard. His knowledge of sports, especially football, was legendary. He also started at defense on the school’s New England championship lacrosse team. At graduation, he received the "Class of 2004 Award of Excellence in Drama" for his memorable performances in the Academy’s musical and dramatic theater productions. Since his death, this award has now been renamed "The Gordie" at Deerfield, in his honor. More about Gordie.
The Circle of Trust
The Circle of Trust is a peer-to-peer education program run through The Gordie Foundation that boasts over 100 chapters on college and high school campuses worldwide. The primary purpose of each chapter is to promote awareness by holding two events each academic year at every participating campus. With peers promoting healthy and responsible behavior to other peers, the messages are readily received by students.
The Circle of Trust operates on a simple hub-and-spoke model with each chapter having a designated “charter member” who is the leader and primary contact for the campus. These leaders coordinate with the fellow Circle of Trust members on their campuses and around the country to schedule two annual events, one in the fall and one just before Spring Break. The Gordie Foundation provides each chapter with educational materials and resources to distribute and effectively utilize in their efforts.
HAZE: the documentary
The Gordie Foundation has recently completed a documentary entitled HAZE that explores the environment on today’s college campuses that could potentially lead to additional alcohol related deaths. Highlighting many aspects Gordie’s story, the film illuminates the heavily veiled and largely misunderstood realm of college binge and competitive drinking and hazing, and the continually mounting risks associated with such behaviors. HAZE ventures into a violent and frightening world, featuring graphic and disturbing scenes of the real-life consequences of alcohol abuse and acts of hazing perpetrated against young men and women by their peers. Psychologists, researchers, college student affairs personnel, and students themselves offer valuable insights into the environment many individuals encounter during what are intended to be formative and enlightening years in the early stages of adulthood. What emerges is evidence of an unsettling trend toward recklessness and overindulgence upon which most students look with ambivalence. HAZE offers a jarring view inside college life that neither parents nor students should miss.
National GORDIEday
The first-annual National GORDIEday program will be take place on October 22, 2008 and will be held in conjunction with National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week. The Gordie Foundation estimates that one hundred institutions will host programs on that day. Events will center on spreading awareness in various ways to various audiences about alcohol abuse and hazing, with Gordie’s story as a basic framework. Ideally, each college or university taking part in this day-long program will have its own concept for the day’s events, uniquely tailored to what has been proven successful with its students and surrounding community. Events may include handing out GORDIEawareness materials like CheckCards, wristbands and bandanas, posting flyers, screening the new documentary HAZE, and hosting speakers.