A walk to remember Lyla

They could be seen last Saturday scaling the sides of Merrick Mountain, nearly 140 people dedicated to raising awareness about teen suicide and prevention, and to remembering the life of Merrick's own Lyla Stern.

Stern was a 16-year-old Calhoun High School student and Herald student columnist who died in January 2009.

The Walk for Lyla, now in its second year, is organized by Stern's friends and former classmates Christina Strezenec and Melissa Dileo. The girls joined together to form Project Love Your Life Always, or LYLA, which donates all proceeds from the annual charity walk to the Long Island Crisis Center, a 24-7 suicide-prevention hotline in Bellmore.

"We thought it would be a very good idea to keep her memory alive and keep her in our hearts by starting a walk," Strezenec recalled of one of her initial reactions to the loss of her friend. "We really thought for a very long time about how we were going to put this money to use, and luckily we found Long Island Crisis Center. Every dollar we’ve gotten goes straight to them."

Saturday's walk brought in $2,600, according to Long Island Crisis Center Financial Manager Paula Brillon, who was still calculating the total amount as of press time.

"We realized that was the place we wanted all our money to go to," Dileo said. "It’s local and it was perfect."

"It's not just about the money," Strezenec said. "It's really about Lyla and keeping her in our hearts and in our minds and raising awareness about suicide and prevention. We’ve definitely transitioned to a point where it's more informative. Let’s get together, let’s walk, let’s talk."

The open and informative nature of the event envisioned by Strezenec is one that compliments the personality of the talkative, outgoing and confident friend the girls remember so fondly.

"I can't put into words how funny she was, how insightful, how much intellect she had. You can't match it," Strezenec said.

"Her kindness will never be forgotten," Dileo said. "Hopefully people will take her attitude and spread it."

As Dileo describes learning her own life lessons through Project LYLA, namely that life is more than just high school, it is important to appreciate the people in her life, and that things are never as bad they seem, the one lesson she hopes to impart on participants is the Long Island Crisis Center's motto: "It's okay to ask for help."

To learn more, visit www.LongIslandCrisisCenter.org.

Comments about this story? SZeidler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.