AHA! Movement: AntiHazing Awareness
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The AHA! Movement is an organization created in the memory of my son Matthew Carrington, who was killed in a water hazing pledging a fraternity in Chico, California. On the night of February 1, 2005, my 21-year-old son, Matt was: forced to drink from a five-gallon jug of water filled more than five times; required to pour enough on himself to assure he stayed wet; and was made to do calisthenics while cold fans blew the below 40-degree temperature on his body from open holes leading from fridgid air outside. Denied the opportunity to use the bathroom, he had to request permission to wet himself. These heinous acts continued until Matt's brain and heart swelled with water, and his liver and kidneys failed due to water intoxication.
In the early morning hours of February 2, 2005, Matt was left to die of water intoxication on the floor of the cold, wet, sewer-infested fraternity basement following these hideous acts of hazing. He was terribly degraded and mistreated for the last three days of his life, all for the purpose of gaining admission into the fraternity.
We were able to get "Matt's Law" passed on September 29, 2006. This California State Law makes it a felony to actively participate in hazing where someone is seriously injured or killed, and a misdemenor when someone witnesses hazing activity, yet does nothing to stop it.
The purpose of the AHA! Movement is to end the senseless deaths of our young people by educating them on the dangers of hazing (not to be confused with bullying). It is documented that hazing starts as early as elementary school.
We need your help, and our young people need your help. Please help us jumpstart our outreach program by contributing to the development of our website, and equipment for our office, as we await our official non-profit status. With the recent outbursts of torturous high school hazings that have taken place in the last 6 months, we are eager to get our program out of development and into high schools nationwide. Our plan is to reach as many high school and college-aged kids as humanly possible to break the cycle of senseless, humiliating, degrading, torturous and potentially deadly acts of hazing.
Thank you,
Debbie Smith, MM (Matt's Mom)
In the early morning hours of February 2, 2005, Matt was left to die of water intoxication on the floor of the cold, wet, sewer-infested fraternity basement following these hideous acts of hazing. He was terribly degraded and mistreated for the last three days of his life, all for the purpose of gaining admission into the fraternity.
We were able to get "Matt's Law" passed on September 29, 2006. This California State Law makes it a felony to actively participate in hazing where someone is seriously injured or killed, and a misdemenor when someone witnesses hazing activity, yet does nothing to stop it.
The purpose of the AHA! Movement is to end the senseless deaths of our young people by educating them on the dangers of hazing (not to be confused with bullying). It is documented that hazing starts as early as elementary school.
We need your help, and our young people need your help. Please help us jumpstart our outreach program by contributing to the development of our website, and equipment for our office, as we await our official non-profit status. With the recent outbursts of torturous high school hazings that have taken place in the last 6 months, we are eager to get our program out of development and into high schools nationwide. Our plan is to reach as many high school and college-aged kids as humanly possible to break the cycle of senseless, humiliating, degrading, torturous and potentially deadly acts of hazing.
Thank you,
Debbie Smith, MM (Matt's Mom)
Organizer
Debbie Smith
Organizer
Pleasant Hill, CA
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