Erika

About Erika

Erika was warm, caring, loving, an animal lover, an artist, a writer, and a lover of books and comic books. She was talented, smart, and had a great flair for fashion and could wear any hair color ever created.

She could challenge the people around her to think about things in a different way - and she could make you feel good while she was doing that. She had a soft heart and had a deep empathy for people. She was a great confidante.

Erika lived for her relationships and was a fiercely loyal friend. She breathed life into words like compassion, empathy, and bravery. Her fight against bigotry and intolerance came to her naturally and stayed with her her whole life.

She was a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and the best friend. She was unique and when she touched your heart, you carried her forever.

She will be forever remembered and forever missed.

About our Website...

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults. Although it’s hard to believe that teenagers and young adults could be so desperately unhappy that they would plan to kill themselves, more than 5,000 U.S. teenagers commit suicide each year. The toll of grief and suffering that suicide exacts on young people and their families is incalculable.

Erika completed suicide on November 27, 2011, after battling manic depression for eight weeks. Erika would not want to be remembered for her final choice, but for all the choices she made during her life.

Because of this we are hoping to bring awareness to the tragedy and heartache of suicide, mental illness, and depression. Most of all we want everyone to know there is hope, there is help, and YOU DO MATTER. No one is better off without YOU.

Our calendar below lists events which are planned for the purpose of enhancing such awareness as well as for raising funds for this important cause. Some are offered by our organization and others are from our partner groups. Please consider supporting us with your participation. We'd be delighted to welcome you to one of our events!

Make a Donation!

Donations to our scholarship fund can be made at any Macatawa bank location to The Erika Marie West Memorial Scholarship Fund. Our Paypal account is also available for accepting donations via the Paypal Donate button below.